BA flight running low on fuel forced to land

A British Airways passenger jet was forced make a priority landing at Heathrow Airport because it was running low on fuel.

The Boeing 767, carrying 56 passengers, had been caught up in congestion while circling Europe’s busiest airspace awaiting clearance for arrival.

Air traffic controllers originally told the BA Boeing 767, flying from Nairobi, to divert to Luton because of the congestion.

But after the pilot’s cockpit light indicated the aircraft did not have sufficient fuel to land with enough of a safety margin, the plane was given clearance to jump the queue at Heathrow.

A BA spokesman insisted the priority landing, on Wednesday November 7, was made “purely as a precaution” and there was no safety risk.

He said: “BA088 Nairobi to Heathrow service on November 7 landed at Heathrow as scheduled.

“Due to air traffic control restrictions at Heathrow, the flight was originally going to be diverted to Luton.

“Prior to the aircraft diverting to Luton the air traffic control restriction was lifted and the flight was able to continue its landing at Heathrow.

“Purely as a precaution, and in line with standard procedures, the flight crew requested a priority landing as they believed the aircraft would land with below its reserve fuel amount.

“Our highly experienced flight crew are trained to deal with such eventualities.

“At no time was there any risk to the safety of this flight. The safety of our passengers and crew is our first priority. The aircraft landed safely and without incident.”

The incident happened in the same week it was reported that a new runway at Heathrow could open by 2017.

John Stewart, chairman of the Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise, said plans to double the amount of flights in Europe’s busiest airspace were “grossly irresponsible”.

Mr Stewart said the latest incident proved expansion plans could be “devastating” for both the environment and public safety.

He said: “This latest incident is another reason why the Government should think again about the proposals to more than double the amount of flights.

“It makes absolutely no sense for the environment and for the safety of the public.

“As residents near Heathrow, the members of my campaign group are right in the front line of the safety concerns.

“The Government is being grossly irresponsible.”

Five thousand workers at airports including Heathrow and Gatwick are to vote on strike action that threatens New Year travel chaos over the coming weeks.

Responding to criticism of the airport’s expansion plans, a BA spokesman said stopping global warming would not be resolved by “putting Heathrow in a straightjacket”.

He also said a third runway would operate perfectly safely with Air Traffic Control redesigned to accommodate the larger airport.

The spokesman added: “Aviation emissions will be capped across Europe from 2011 – and if airlines want to fly more, they will have to pay for emissions reductions in other sectors.

“If no growth is allowed at Heathrow, global emissions will not be reduced. Instead, growth will be diverted to other European hubs and undermine UK aviation jobs.

“Global warming will not be resolved by putting Heathrow in a straightjacket. UK aviation as a whole contributes 0.1% cent of global carbon emissions.”