Other event
Details
Event title
United Kingdom - Jet2 flight makes emergency landing at Bristol airport
Source
Severity
Mid
Event date (UTC)
2026-02-20 09:25:11
Last update (UTC)
2026-02-20 09:25:12
Area range
Local event
Address/Affected area(s)
Bristol Airport (BRS), Bristol
A Jet2 passenger flight traveling from Spain to Scotland was forced to make an emergency landing in Bristol after pilots declared an in-flight emergency while crossing the English Channel on Thursday afternoon.The Boeing 737-800 had departed from Alicante–Elche Miguel Hernández Airport and was en route to Glasgow Airport when the situation unfolded over the sea, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.At approximately 15:20 GMT, the flight crew transmitted a Squawk 7700 code — the internationally recognized signal indicating a general emergency — as the aircraft approached the southern coast of the United Kingdom.According to online flight-tracking data, the plane initiated a rapid descent from cruising altitude and diverted from its original route to Scotland, turning instead toward Bristol.The Squawk 7700 code alerts Air Traffic Control to clear nearby airspace and grant the aircraft priority handling for landing.Air traffic controllers subsequently vectored the plane toward Bristol Airport for an unscheduled landing. Emergency services were placed on standby as a precaution to ensure the safety of passengers and crew upon arrival.