British Airways A380 returns to Johannesburg after weather radar failure

A British Airways Airbus A380 flight from Johannesburg to London Heathrow was forced to return to O. R. Tambo International Airport after seven hours in the air due to a technical malfunction.

Flight BA54, traveling from South Africa through Botswana and Zambia, encountered a weather radar system failure while over the Democratic Republic of Congo. To ensure safety while navigating equatorial weather, the crew aborted the flight and initiated a U-turn. Due to the aircraft's heavy fuel load for the long-haul journey, the crew entered a two-hour holding pattern north of Johannesburg to burn off fuel and reach a safe maximum landing weight.

The aircraft landed safely without incident. Following maintenance and repairs to the radar system, the same aircraft successfully completed its journey to London later that evening.