Ryanair flight to Spain declares mid-air emergency and forced to turn around | World | News

A Ryanair flight from Glasgow to Spain has declared a mid-air emergency and been forced to turn around part-way through the journey. Flight FR7842 took off from Glasgow Prestwick Airport at 7.31am on Monday morning, headed to Murcia in southeastern Spain.

It reached a cruising altitude of 35,000 feet before sending out Squawk 7700, the international code for a general emergency, a little after an hour into the journey. Flight tracking data showed the Boeing 737 MAX 8200 turning back over the Channel as it returned to the UK.

The plane then diverted to London Stansted Airport, touching down at 9.10am – one hour and 39 minutes after takeoff.

Passengers waiting for the plane in Murcia should expect significant delays.

Squawk 7700 is the international transponder code used by pilots to indicate a general in-flight emergency to Air Traffic Control (ATC).

While serious, it is often used as a precautionary measure to gain priority handling for a safe landing. Once activated, it often triggers alerts on flight tracking apps like Flightradar24.