Medics rush to Heathrow runway after American Airlines jet declares mid-air emergency

Medics rush to Heathrow runway after American Airlines jet declares mid-air emergency Pilots on an American Airlines has been forced to divert a flight from Delhi to New York and head for Heathrow Airport after a medical emergency onboard An American Airlines flight declared a mid-air emergency and diverted to Heathrow Airport with paramedics rushing to meet the plane. Pilots on the New York-bound flight made the call to land at the London airport after a person became seriously ill around six hours into the journey from Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. The dramatic incident unfolded at 36,000 feet on Flight AA293, operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which was on its way to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. A map from Flightradar24 shows the plane's route from Delhi which suddenly veered to the right as it approached Italy. It is understood that the plane descended to 30,000ft and the pilots considered landing at Munich Airport in Germany but then they decided to return to 36,000ft and head to London. It touched down safely on Runway 27L at Heathrow at 4:15am this morning with paramedics helping the passenger who had become unwell. It is not confirmed whether the aircraft transmitted a 7700 code, signalling a general emergency, when the pilot made the decision to divert the plane but this would be normal practice in a situation like this. When a pilot enters the four-digit emergency code 7700 into their transponder, it immediately alerts air traffic control that the aircraft is in distress and requires priority handling. But the nature of the incident is unclear as it acts as a "catch-all" for any emergency situation that isn't a hijacking (7500) or radio failure (7600).