Two London Gatwick flights encounter mid-air emergencies within minutes of each other
Smell of ‘used socks’ why BA flight made u-turn back to Gatwick
- On Tuesday, 15 July, a British Airways flight (BA2203) from London Gatwick to Cancun was forced to return to the airport shortly after take-off due to a strong "smell of used socks" that caused dizziness among the crew.
- The Boeing 777 circled for approximately 30 minutes before landing safely back at Gatwick, where it was met by emergency services.
- British Airways confirmed a technical issue led to the diversion, apologised for the disruption, and provided passengers with overnight hotel accommodation before they re-boarded their flight the following morning.
- Minutes after the BA incident, an easyJet flight (EZY8520) from Funchal also requested a priority landing at Gatwick due to a suspected bird strike.
- The easyJet aircraft landed normally and was met by emergency services in line with procedures, purely as a precaution, with the airline stating that customer and crew safety is their highest priority.