A British Airways flight bound for Glasgow declared an emergency just before landing, after a medical situation involving an elderly passenger prompted the crew to request priority landing. Flight BA8722, an Embraer ERJ-190 aircraft, had taken off from London City Airport at 1:30 pm for its one-hour journey to Scotland, but as the flight neared its destination, a medical emergency occurred onboard.
The pilots issued a 7700 transponder signal, a universal alert for emergencies, allowing the flight to receive priority landing clearance. The signal was sent as the plane approached Glasgow Airport, where emergency services were immediately dispatched. According to reports, the aircraft continued its descent while communicating with air traffic control, ensuring a swift and safe landing.
British Airways later confirmed the incident involved an elderly passenger who required medical attention. Despite the emergency, the aircraft landed smoothly at 2:10 pm, about ten minutes ahead of its scheduled arrival time. One of the passengers took to social media to praise the professionalism of the crew, writing, “Kudos to the team on BA8722 today for their calm, kindness, and discretion in dealing with a medical emergency.”
This isn’t the first time a flight emergency has made headlines recently. Earlier in the month, a Turkish Airlines flight was forced to divert to New York after the pilot suffered a fatal medical event. In that instance, the co-pilot successfully landed the plane, but sadly, the captain passed away before the plane touched down.
As for flight BA8722, the situation was handled swiftly, and the passenger involved received the necessary medical assistance upon landing. British Airways has since expressed their gratitude for the crew’s efforts during the emergency.
