Chaos at Gatwick Airport: Flights suspended and diverted after BA plane aborts takeoff

Flights at Gatwick Airport were temporarily suspended and diverted on Friday after a British Airways plane aborted takeoff.

A British Airways Boeing 777-200ER from London Gatwick to Vancouver aborted takeoff due to hot brakes.

The aircraft apparently remained on the tarmac for some time, blocking the runway, before it was moved.

At the time of writing, seven flights had already been cancelled due to the emergency.

In addition, at least ten flights were diverted to other airports, including London Stansted and Heathrow, affecting EasyJet and Wizz Air.

The cancelled arrivals include flights from Palma de Mallorca, Nice, Faro and Oslo.

In addition, according to live information on the official website, numerous flights were delayed.

A spokesman for London Gatwick Airport told the Standard: “The main runway was closed for a short time today (28 June) because the brakes of an aircraft taking off were overheating.”

“Safety is our top priority and the airport fire service was immediately on site to assist the aircraft. Several flights were diverted.”

“The runway is now open and operating as usual.”

British Airways said pilots had “taken the precautionary measure of cancelling takeoff due to a technical problem.”

A spokesman said: “Our pilots have taken the precautionary decision to cancel the takeoff due to a technical problem.

“Safety is always our top priority and we apologize to customers for any inconvenience caused.”

Photos published on the Internet appear to show firefighters cleaning the aircraft’s landing gear with fire extinguishing agents.

An eyewitness told ITV News Meridian: “Just as we were taxiing onto the runway for take-off, the pilot announced that another aircraft was stuck and blocking the runway. They didn’t know how long it would take until the runway was clear.

“It must be an hour now. The plane has now been towed off the runway and our engines are running again.

“The pilot said, ‘There’s going to be quite a scramble to get on the runway first.'”