An IndiGo flight from Heathrow to Delhi was forced to turn back and land as an emergency less than an hour after departure on Tuesday evening, 22 September, after the crew detected a technical issue on board. All passengers landed safely and were rebooked onto later flights.
Flight 6E4, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner carrying more than 250 passengers, departed Heathrow at 8.39pm. About 20 minutes into the flight, as the aircraft was climbing over the English Channel toward Belgium, the crew stopped the climb at 24,000 feet and transmitted squawk code 7700, the universal transponder signal for a general emergency. The aircraft made a U-turn and landed back at Heathrow on runway 27L around 9.20pm, roughly 78 minutes after take-off.
Squawk 7700 puts an aircraft on every controller's screen as an emergency and gives it priority handling, clearing the way for a swift return and a full ground response, including fire crews. It does not by itself indicate what triggered the alert.
IndiGo said in a statement: "A technical issue was detected shortly after take-off on IndiGo flight 6E04 operating from London to New Delhi on 22 September. Following standard operating procedures, the pilots decided to turn back and landed the aircraft safely at London Heathrow airport. The aircraft is currently undergoing maintenance checks and will resume operations after securing all necessary clearances."
The airline has not confirmed the exact nature of the technical issue. Some reports, citing sources in London, said the cockpit crew detected smoke on board shortly after take-off and decided to return as a precaution. IndiGo has not confirmed this detail.
IndiGo said it arranged hotel accommodation for affected passengers and placed them on the next available flights to Delhi to minimise disruption. "The safety of our customers, crew, and aircraft remains our top priority," the airline said.
The incident is the second time this month that a flight has declared an emergency and landed at Heathrow following a technical issue. Earlier in September, a British Airways flight from Dublin squawked 7700 before landing safely at Heathrow; the airline described it at the time as a minor technical issue.
What this means for your journey: isolated aircraft technical incidents like this are handled by airlines individually and do not typically affect the wider Heathrow schedule, but they are a reminder to check your flight status directly with your airline before setting off. If your onward plans change at short notice, a taxi booked on the day can offer more flexibility than a pre-paid parking slot, see our guide at /taxis/ for options.