British Airways Flight ABANDONED Mid-Air After Radar Fails
Passengers on a British Airways flight from Singapore to London were left stranded after a weather radar fault forced the plane to turn back just after takeoff.
Hours of Delays and Four-Hour Hold Over Singapore
Flight BA12 was set to leave Singapore at 11:20pm Monday but suffered a four-hour delay due to a technical hiccup. The plane finally took off at 3:10am, only for trouble to strike again.
After reaching 27,000ft, pilots had to abort the journey. The faulty weather radar made it unsafe to continue the 13-hour flight to London Heathrow.
Forced to Circle as Fuel Burns Off
Fully fuelled for the long haul, the Airbus A380 couldn’t land immediately back at Singapore’s Changi Airport. Instead, it entered a holding pattern, burning fuel to reach a safe landing weight.
Flight Radar 24 data revealed the plane circled off Singapore’s coast for four hours before returning to land. The flight was then cancelled, and passengers were put up in hotels overnight.
Ongoing Woes for BA’s A380 Fleet
This latest incident highlights persistent problems with British Airways’ Airbus A380s. The G-XLED aircraft involved was returning to service after being parked since March 2020 during the pandemic.
BA still sees its A380s as vital, but repeated technical glitches have caused delays and cancellations. Notably, the aircraft was also scheduled for the next day’s flight BA269 to Los Angeles—which was also cancelled due to no backup planes.
