Why British Airways Flight Dumped ’30 Tonnes’ Fuel Mid Air

A British Airways flight BA295 from London Heathrow to Chicago declared an emergency mid-air. This had created a huge issue initially amidst the recent Flydubai incident. However, it was due to the aircraft experiencing cabin pressurisation issues.

The flight was travelling from London Heathrow to Chicago when it declared an emergency while flying over Ireland and transmitted the 7700 emergency code.

Flight-tracking data showed the Boeing 777 descending from around 37,000 feet to approximately 9,000 feet in about 9.5 minutes. The aircraft then turned back towards London.

However, the British Airways flight landed safely at Heathrow after reportedly dumping around 30 tonnes of fuel, according to aviation news reports. Heathrow Airport’s emergency ground vehicles, SQUID 38 and SQUID 43, were seen meeting the Boeing 777 after it landed.

An initial ACARS message from the crew said: “WE ARE RETURNING TO LHR DUE PRESS PROBLEM. CAB ALT REACHED 10500. NO MEANS OF JETT FUEL 30T OVER MLW.”

The message indicated that the aircraft was returning to Heathrow due to a cabin pressurisation problem. The cabin altitude had reached 10,500 feet, while the aircraft was around 30 tonnes above its Maximum Landing Weight.

The crew initially reported that they could not dump fuel. However, the aircraft later managed to dump the fuel over the Bristol Channel before returning to Heathrow.

The aircraft landed safely at Heathrow, where emergency vehicles were waiting giving a huge sigh of relief. Further details about the cause of the pressurisation issue are awaited.