London Heathrow sees two emergency transatlantic flight returns

Two transatlantic flights departing from London Heathrow experienced technical emergencies and were forced to return to the airport.

A British Airways Boeing 777-200ER traveling to Chicago experienced a rapid descent from 37,000 feet to approximately 9,000 feet after oxygen masks deployed. The crew issued an emergency squawk and entered a holding pattern over the Bristol Channel to manage fuel and weight before landing safely at Heathrow. British Airways confirmed a technical issue but did not specify the cause.

Separately, a United Airlines Boeing 767-300ER bound for Newark declared an emergency over Manchester after reaching 32,000 feet. The crew elected to return directly to Heathrow for an expedited landing rather than jettisoning fuel. The aircraft landed safely, and emergency services met the plane on the taxiway as a standard precaution. United Airlines is working to rebook affected passengers.