LONDON- Flag carrier of the UK, British Airways (BA) flight BA285 from London Heathrow (LHR) to San Francisco (SFO) made a U-Turn back at LHR on December 10, 2025.
According to the current flight schedule, British Airways operates two daily flights between London and San Francisco using Airbus A380s and Boeing 777-300ERs.
Photo: Clément Alloing
British Airways A380 Returns to LHR
According to FlightRadar24 data, British Airways flight took off from London Heathrow at 12:16 UTC.
While en route to San Francisco, the pilots reported some technical issues with the aircraft’s communication system and decided to make a U-turn back at London.
The pilots dumped fuel near the east coast of Scotland and returned to London after being airborne for around 4 hours.
Photo: FlightRadar24
According to Planespotters.net, British Airways flight BA295 was operated by a 10.2-year-old Airbus A380-841 registered as G-XLEK.
Photo: By Anna Zvereva from Tallinn, Estonia – British Airways, G-EUUD, Airbus A320-232, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63361968
Similar Incident
British Airways (BA) briefly suspended flight operations at Edinburgh Airport (EDI) after a technical issue forced a London-bound aircraft to return shortly after takeoff. The precautionary response led to a short runway closure and delayed multiple flights.
The aircraft landed safely with no injuries reported, and airport operations resumed once safety checks were completed. Authorities confirmed the disruption followed standard emergency procedures.
British Airways flight BA1443 departed Edinburgh Airport at 11.13 am, scheduled for a ninety-minute flight to London Heathrow. The aircraft, an Airbus A320, climbed out normally before the flight crew identified a technical issue moments after departure.
Following established safety protocol, the pilots transmitted the internationally recognized 7700 emergency squawk code. This alert signaled air traffic control that the aircraft required immediate priority handling. Air traffic services cleared the airspace to allow a controlled return to Edinburgh.
The aircraft landed safely with emergency teams positioned as a precaution. There were no reports of injuries among passengers or crew.
Photo: By Mertbiol – Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=130784832
Runway Suspension and Airport Response
Edinburgh Airport confirmed that all arrivals and departures were suspended for approximately 40 minutes. Emergency and operational teams secured the runway and conducted inspections to ensure safe conditions for continued operations.
The aircraft remained on the runway until it was safely towed to a stand by the airline’s ground handling team. Once the runway was cleared and checks were completed, the airport resumed normal operations.
Airport officials emphasized that the temporary closure was precautionary and aligned with established safety protocols.
Photo: By Anna Zvereva from Tallinn, Estonia – British Airways, G-EUUA, Airbus A320-232, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44280753
Passenger Handling and Airline Statement
Passengers onboard the affected flight were transported back to the terminal by coach while engineers carried out inspections on the aircraft. British Airways apologized for the disruption and confirmed efforts were underway to rebook affected travelers as quickly as possible.
The airline stated that pilots made the decision to return shortly after takeoff following the detection of the technical issue. No further technical details were disclosed.
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