A British Airways flight from Larnaca, Cyprus, was diverted to London Gatwick in the early hours of Tuesday 20 October after a lengthy delay meant it could not land at Heathrow within the airport's permitted night-time hours, the airline has confirmed.
Flight BA707 was held on the ground at Larnaca International Airport for more than three hours on 19 October because of an unspecified technical issue, which was resolved before passengers boarded. The Airbus A320 eventually departed Cyprus at around 9.45pm local time on a flight scheduled to take about four and a half hours.
By the time it approached London, flight-tracking data showed the aircraft heading straight for Gatwick rather than circling Heathrow, indicating the crew already knew it would not be cleared to land there. The flight touched down at Gatwick shortly after midnight.
Heathrow operates under long-standing night restrictions, imposed since the 1960s to limit noise for residents under its flight paths. The airport does not schedule departures between 10.40pm and 6am or arrivals between 10.55pm and 5.05am, and caps the total number of permitted night movements each year at 5,800. Airlines can request permission to land outside those hours in exceptional cases, but Heathrow assesses each request individually and can refuse it, diverting the aircraft elsewhere.
A British Airways spokesperson told The Independent: "We're sorry for the disruption to our customers' journeys. Due to a delay, the flight was unable to meet Heathrow's airport curfew and diverted to Gatwick instead. Our teams worked hard to arrange onward transport and get customers on their way as quickly as possible." Heathrow confirmed it was the airport, rather than the airline, that made the call to send BA707 to Gatwick.
Aviation outlet Aviation A2Z, citing flight-tracking data, separately reported that BA707 landed at Gatwick at 12.12am, having left Larnaca at 9.32pm, and noted the diversion as a clear example of how a delay at a departure airport can cascade into a change of arrival airport once Heathrow's overnight quota system is in play.
For the passengers on board, landing at Gatwick rather than Heathrow meant British Airways had to organise onward transport to get them to their original destinations, rather than their flight simply running late. Heathrow's curfew rules mean this kind of diversion, while uncommon, can happen to any delayed long-haul or holiday-route flight that arrives too close to the overnight cut-off, especially during busy periods when knock-on delays at departure airports are more likely.
Sources: The Independent and Aviation A2Z.
What this means for your journey: if your flight is delayed and you are told it has been diverted to another London airport, check with your airline about onward transport before making your own way there. See our /taxis/ guide for options for getting between Gatwick, Heathrow and your final destination if your flight is affected.