On Friday, shortly after 11 a.m., the British Airways Boeing 777 jet’s escape route was activated (January 13). There have been no reports of injuries, and the incident is thought to have been an accident. When the incident occurred, the British Airways Boeing 777-200ER was being pushed back from Terminal 5 at London Heathrow. According to a BA spokesperson: “Customers disembarked normally after the plane returned to a standstill. We apologised to customers for the inconvenience, gave them refreshment vouchers, and arranged for a replacement aircraft so that they could continue their journey as planned.” The plane, registered G-VIIK, was scheduled to take off at 10.10 a.m., bound for Lagos, Nigeria. Passengers have been informed that an alternate flight will depart at 1pm. Inflatable slides up to 14 metres (46 feet) long are an important part of an aircraft’s safety kit. British Airways licenced engineer Peter Dyer previously explained on the airline’s website that every commercial aircraft is equipped with evacuation slides. These systems are checked almost daily, and the engineers at the airline frequently ‘blow’ the slides to ensure they work properly. British Airways’ Boeing 777-200 planes are equipped with eight slides to ensure that all passengers can exit quickly in an emergency.
