Double Diversion Leaves Passengers On British Airways Plane For Entire Day

Passengers aboard British Airways flight BA252, a Boeing 777 plane, from the Cayman Islands to London had to endure an unexpected travel experience this week, spending almost 23 hours on board.

With a planned stop in Nassau, Bahamas, the Boeing 777 departed George Town, Grand Cayman, on time on Tuesday, April 8, at 6:21 pm EST. But the flight was diverted to Gander International Airport in Newfoundland, Canada, due to a medical emergency.

After a five-hour trip, the flight touched down in Gander, but the crew was then running out of the legally allowed number of hours to fly the aircraft.

The Boeing 777 was then scheduled to land at Keflavik International Airport in Reykjavik, Iceland so that a fresh crew could safely fly the plane to London.

According to data from FlightRadar24, the BA252 finally touched down at London's Heathrow Airport after another two and a half hours in the air on Wednesday, April 9, at 10:38 pm local time.

The trip from Nassau to London took 11 hours longer than expected because of two detours. The flight departed the Bahamas at 10.24 pm EDT on April 8 and arrived in London 19 hours later.

Elsewhere, a passenger attempted to open a jet door over the Indian Ocean, forcing a flight from Bali, Indonesia, to Melbourne, Australia, to make a U-turn.

On Tuesday, passengers were evacuated from an American Airlines aircraft in Georgia following reports of smoke and a burning smell in the cabin.

Simon Calder, travel correspondent for The Independent, claimed that British Airways' decision to send a new crew to Iceland was the “least-bad option.”

Mr Calder considered other possibilities such as “staying on the ground at Gander and resting the crew there,” which were dismissed.

Despite the challenges, airlines continue to be the safest mode of transportation, with millions of passengers taking smooth flights every day.

Earlier in April, an American Airlines flight from New York City to Tokyo had to make a U-turn due to a "maintenance issue".

Several travellers were left stuck in Dallas overnight after preparing for a 14-hour journey straight to Tokyo.

Flight 167 took off from John F. Kennedy International Airport at approximately 11 am on Monday. After approximately seven hours of travel over the Pacific Ocean close to Alaska, the Boeing 787 was forced to make a five-hour diversion.

Shortly after 10 pm local time, it landed at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, forcing travellers to endure a taxing 12-hour detour.