IndiGo Airlines flight makes U-turn in mid-air emergency after Heathrow take-off

IndiGo Airlines flight makes U-turn in mid-air emergency after Heathrow take-off The IndiGo Airlines flight from Heathrow to New Delhi was supposed to fly 4,000 miles en route to India but it failed to even reach the coast of France Passengers on a flight from Heathrow to New Delhi found themselves making an unexpected U-turn over the English Channel after the crew signalled an emergency. The IndiGo Airlines flight was forced to turn back to London Heathrow Airport after declaring an emergency shortly after takeoff. Flight 6E4 departed Heathrow after 8pm yesterday, but the planned 4,000-mile journey came to an end just minutes later. The flight had been scheduled to cross Europe and the Middle East en route to Indira Gandhi International Airport but the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner had not even reached the coast of France before it was forced to turn back towards London. Flight tracking data shows that as the aircraft reached the English Channel, the flight crew halted its climb at 24,000 feet. A short while later the flightcrew broadcast the squawk 7700 emergency code. The code is an international signal for a general onboard emergency and lets Air Traffic Control (ATC) know the aircraft requires priority handling. After broadcasting the code the crew turned the plane back towards British airspace. Declaring an emergency gives the flight immediate landing priority, dedicated airspace clearance, and standby ground rescue services upon touchdown. Squawk 7700 signals can be broadcast in a range of situations including weather, technical, mechanical, or medical emergencies. At 9.37pm the plane had taxied to a remote stand at the airport escorted by fire engines. The Mirror has contacted IndiGo and Heathrow Airport for a comment.