A flight operated by Jet2 heading to Spain was redirected to London after an emergency was announced while flying at an altitude of 37,000 feet over the southern region of England. The flight, identified as LS257, took off from Leeds Bradford Airport at 4:40 pm on Wednesday, destined for Palma de Mallorca. Approximately 40 minutes into the journey, the crew signaled a general emergency using the international code “Squawk 7700” due to a passenger requiring medical assistance, as confirmed by a Jet2 spokesperson.
Upon receiving the emergency signal, air traffic control swiftly rerouted the aircraft to London Stansted Airport. Emergency services were put on standby in accordance with standard protocols, according to reports from aviation source AirLive. The aircraft successfully landed at 5:50 pm as per flight-tracking data.
Recent statistics from Manchester Airports Group, which oversees Manchester, Stansted, and East Midlands airports, revealed a 2.4% increase in passenger numbers for May compared to the previous year. The growth was attributed to the substantial influx of Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Crystal Palace fans traveling to attend European football finals.
In contrast, Heathrow Airport reported a decline in passenger volume for the same period despite experiencing its busiest day ever in May. The airport disclosed that 7.1 million passengers passed through its terminals in May, indicating a 1.2% decrease year-on-year. Passenger figures from the UK dropped by 1.9%, with a significant 31% decrease in passengers from the Middle East due to ongoing geopolitical tensions involving the US and Iran. However, this decline was less severe than the 5.3% decrease observed in April, which Heathrow attributed to temporary disruptions caused by the conflict.
Heathrow also noted that May 22 marked its busiest day on record, with 262,000 passengers traversing the airport at the beginning of the school half-term break.