An Air Canada flight encountered an in-flight emergency shortly after departing from London Heathrow Airport. The flight, AC853 bound for Toronto, took off at 8:34 am on Saturday and ascended to 34,000 feet over the Atlantic before the emergency was declared less than an hour into the journey. The crew signaled the emergency by transmitting a Squawk 7700 code to air traffic control.
The Boeing 777-300ER aircraft was diverted from its original transatlantic route back to Heathrow as a precaution, with emergency services standing by. Air Canada has not yet disclosed the nature of the emergency, as such alerts are used for a variety of scenarios including technical malfunctions or medical situations.
Data tracking indicates that the aircraft began its return shortly after reaching cruising altitude around 09:15 BST and descended back towards London. The plane successfully landed on runway 27L at approximately 10:02 BST, leading to a brief suspension of landings on Heathrow’s south runway. Passengers were safely escorted back to the terminal after the aircraft taxied to the gate under emergency vehicle escort.
Despite the unexpected turn of events, no injuries were reported among the passengers. Air Canada is working to reschedule the disrupted service, planning for a replacement departure later in the morning. Heathrow’s emergency crews remained on standby throughout the incident, following standard procedures for aircraft in full emergency situations.
Authorities are expected to review the incident, with more information forthcoming from the airline and airport officials.
