Johannesburg - A British Airways flight heading to the Nigerian capital Abuja was forced to return to Heathrow Airport in London after losing one of its engines mid-air.
This Day reported on Wednesday that the airline confirmed that flight BA 083 was met by emergency services on arrival at Heathrow as a precautionary measure after what it called “a minor technical issue.”
“Our teams looked after our customers last night, providing them with overnight accommodation,” the airline said, apologising for the delay to the travel plans of clients.
BA said in a statement: “For your information, the aircraft experienced a minor technical issue, and our pilots elected to return to Heathrow. In terms of the emergency services meeting the aircraft, this is standard practice.
“Our aircraft returned to Heathrow and was met by the emergency services as a precaution after experiencing a minor technical issue. Our teams looked after our customers last night, providing them with overnight accommodation. We’re sorry to our customers for the delay to their travel plans."
Last week Thursday, a Philippine Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing after one of the engines on the Boeing 777 caught fire shortly after takeoff from Los Angeles International Airport.
Witnesses on the ground reported seeing flames coming from one of the plane's engines, the Washington Post reported.
It was not clear what caused the incident. Reuters reported that GE Aviation, a subsidiary of General Electric, which manufactures the engines for the 777 aircraft, is working with the airline to determine the cause of the failure.