Emirates flight to Dubai forced to return to Heathrow after technical fault

The New Year’s Eve journey only travelled as far as Kent before making a U-turn

An Emirates A380, taken in Zurich (Getty Images)

Passengers on a New Year’s Eve flight to Dubai had their plans disrupted after their plane was forced return to Heathrow.

Emirates flight EK002 took off from London Heathrow Airport just after 2.30pm for a six-and-a-half-hour flight to Dubai, due to land in the city at 12.40am GMT (4.40am GST in Dubai).

However, passengers instead found themselves back in London after a technical fault was reported on the plane, according to aviation website Simple Flying.

The Airbus A380, which was already 50 minutes behind schedule, only travelled as far as Kent before making a U-turn back towards Heathrow.

Before reaching the airport, the plane circled south-east London at an altitude of 10,000 feet for approximately 90 minutes before returning to the runway.

Circling in the sky, or being held in a holding pattern, is standard procedure when long-haul flights have to make an unexpected landing. The practice burns off fuel, reducing the plane’s weight and thus making it safer to land.

An Emirates spokesperson said in a statement to the Daily Mail: “Emirates flight EK002 departed London Heathrow (LHR) for Dubai on 31 December 2025 after 1:40pm GMT as scheduled, but returned to London Heathrow shortly after take-off due to a technical fault.

“The flight landed back at Heathrow and passengers and crew were safely disembarked.

“All passengers will be rebooked to depart on future Emirates flights from London Heathrow. Emirates apologises for any inconvenience caused, but the safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance and will not be compromised.”

Crew reported an issue with the landing gear system, according to various outlets, which caused the plane to return.

Flights will often return to their starting point or make a diversion to another airport as part of safety protocols.

This incident comes days after a Ryanair flight to Tenerife was forced to return to Birmingham airport after severe turbulence caused multiple passengers to be injured.

After making as far as France, the pilots decided to turn back to Birmingham, landing normally at Birmingham 90 minutes after it had taken off.

Ryanair said a “small number of passengers were provided with medical assistance” upon landing.

The Independent has contacted Emirates for comment.

Read more: Ryanair passengers injured after severe turbulence hits Tenerife flight