A Ryanair flight departing from the United Kingdom to Portugal had to signal a mid-air emergency shortly after taking off. The flight, identified as FR5552, left London Stansted airport at 6:21 am yesterday en route to Faro, Portugal. However, the aircraft had to alter its course back towards Bournemouth Airport after crossing over northern France instead of returning to London Stansted’s airspace. Approximately 45 minutes into the journey, a Squawk 7700 signal, indicating a general emergency, was issued, prompting a rapid descent.
Radar data displayed the Ryanair plane executing a sharp turn and reducing altitude as it made its way toward the English coast and Bournemouth Airport. The aircraft successfully landed in Bournemouth slightly over an hour after departure, with reports from AirLive suggesting a medical incident occurred on board.
When a pilot inputs the emergency code 7700 into the transponder, it promptly notifies air traffic control of the distress situation requiring immediate attention. This code serves as a universal signal for emergencies excluding hijacking (7500) or radio failure (7600), covering various crisis scenarios. The Mirror has reached out to Ryanair for further information.
In a separate incident last month, passengers on flight Ryanair RK3226 departing from Manchester Airport heading to Sandefjord Airport, Torp, in Norway, faced a similar emergency situation. The flight, initially delayed by an hour on March 24, proceeded normally for about 40 minutes before a Squawk 7700 alert was transmitted at its cruising altitude of 37,000 feet over the North Sea. Flight tracking data illustrated the plane’s return towards the UK coastline before declaring an emergency.
The aircraft safely landed on runway 23R at Manchester Airport at 9:55 am, under the guidance of air traffic control granting priority for landing. A Ryanair spokesperson attributed the return to a “minor technical issue,” with passengers accommodated on a replacement aircraft to continue their journey.
