A number of flight attendants have been assessed by paramedics at Shannon Airport after their aircraft made an emergency landing this afternoon.
British Airways flight BA-2201 was flying from Gatwick Airport in England to Cancun in Mexico when the crew made a U-turn over the Atlantic and diverted to the mid-west airport. There were 237 passengers and a crew of 13 on board the Boeing 777-200 jet.
The flight crew reported they had detected fumes in the cockpit and passenger cabin and that a number of persons on board appeared to have been affected and would require to be checked by paramedics on arrival.
On the ground at Shannon, authorities implemented emergency procedures ahead of the flight’s arrival. This involved alerting the HSE, National Ambulance Service and An Garda Síochána.
Five ambulances, two advanced paramedic rapid response vehicles and an ambulance officer were dispatched to the airport.
It’s understood that eight cabin crew members were assessed by paramedics however no passengers were affected.
The flight landed safely at 3.18pm and was pursued along the runway by airport fire and rescue crews who also accompanied the jet to the terminal.
After it was confirmed their flight had been cancelled, the passengers were transported by bus to hotels in Clare and Limerick. It’s expected that a replacement aircraft will be flown to Shannon tomorrow to take the passengers onto their destination.
A British Airways spokesman confirmed: “We’re very sorry for the delay to our customers’ journeys. We have provided them with accommodation following their diversion into Shannon due to a minor technical issue.
The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority and we would never operate a flight unless it was safe to do so.”