Thousands of passengers diverted and delayed after aircraft blocks runway at Gatwick

Passengers at Gatwick said on social media that the airport fire service had been called out to hose down the brakes on the BA Boeing 777, bound for Vancouver - @JamesHiltonEsq/X

Thousands of passengers have been diverted away from Gatwick airport and others delayed after a British Airways flight was stuck on the runway for half an hour.

The BA flight, a scheduled service to Vancouver, was left stranded after the pilots on board carried out an emergency drill to stop the airliner during its takeoff run over a technical issue.

The plane, a Boeing 777-200ER, was then stuck on the airport’s runway for another 38 minutes after the “rejected takeoff”, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24.

Delays caused by the blockage are predicted to affect flights for the remainder of Friday, while passengers on 14 inbound flights face being diverted to other airports.

Delays caused by the runway blockage at Gatwick were predicted to hit flights for the rest of Friday - Universal Images Group Editorial

Seven easyJet flights had been diverted to Luton and Stansted, while the pilots of an Emirates A380 super-jumbo, inbound from Dubai, chose to divert to Brussels.

A Norwegian flight from Stockholm diverted to Bournemouth airport on the south coast, while other airlines, including Ryanair and Vueling, are also diverting their flights to Luton and Stansted.

Some flights due to land at Gatwick are expected to be delayed by up to an hour, according to Flightradar24 data.

Eurocontrol, which manages European air traffic, said Gatwick had reported “high delays” for inbound flights.

Data from Flightradar24 suggested around 20 flights were delayed following the incident.

An Emirates A380 super-jumbo, inbound from Dubai, was diverted to Brussels - @Patrick75096266/X

A British Airways spokesman said: “Our pilots took the precautionary decision to cancel take-off due to a technical issue. Safety is always our top priority and we apologise to customers for the inconvenience caused.”

Passengers at Gatwick said on social media that the airport fire service had been called out to hose down the Boeing’s brakes and cool them after the rejected takeoff, an emergency measure which can heat brakes to several hundred degrees.

Airliner tyres are protected with “fuse plugs” which melt if they get too hot, safely letting the high-pressure air inside escape in a controlled manner to prevent a dangerous explosion.

A Gatwick airport spokesman said: “The main runway was closed for a short time today due to a departing aircraft having hot brakes.

“Safety is our top priority and the dedicated airport fire service swiftly attended to support the aircraft.

“A number of flights were diverted. The runway is now open and operating as normal.”

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