TUI flight from Lanzarote to Newcastle declares 'squawk' emergency at 17,000ft

TUI flight from Lanzarote to Newcastle declares 'squawk' emergency at 17,000ft The flight from the Spanish island landed at its planned destination about 45 minutes behind schedule, having also departed late, but it is not clear what triggered the emergency code A TUI flight to a major UK city transmitted a ‘general emergency code’ at around 17,900 feet shortly before 1am on Monday morning. The flight from Lanzarote, Spain, to Newcastle appears to have landed safely in the north east of England, according to flight tracking data. Pilots transmitted a 7700 ‘squawk code’ shortly before landing, FlightRadar24 data suggests. TUI flight BY1767 was due to take off from the Spanish island at 8:05pm on Sunday (November 1), but actually set off at 9:24pm, records show. It was due to land in Newcastle at 12:30am on Monday, but actually touched down at 1:16am instead. The nature of the emergency has not been identified. A 7700 code can mean a variety of incidents have taken place, aviation experts say. SimpleFlying explained: “It is a simple four-digit code entered into an aircraft’s transponder that immediately alerts air traffic controllers that the flight is experiencing an emergency. “Whether the issue involves an engine problem, smoke in the cabin, a medical emergency, or another serious situation, the code helps ensure the aircraft receives priority handling and any assistance needed to reach the ground safely.” Cockpits use the code to notify ground crews they may need assistance, the aviation site adds. The cause of the 7700 on Monday has not been confirmed, but it appears the flight landed at the correct airport around 45 minutes behind schedule. TUI has been contacted for comment.