An easyJet flight declared an emergency while approaching Manchester Airport. Passengers were completing the brief journey from Amsterdam yesterday when the crew aboard the Airbus A320-200 issued a mid-air alert, and the aircraft entered a holding pattern.
The pilot of easyJet flight U22164 from Schiphol Airport diverted from the standard approach into Manchester Airport and circled north of the city, according to flight tracking data. Approximately one hour after departure, the crew declared the emergency while preparing for descent into Manchester, Air Live reports.
Typically, a squawk code of 7700 is transmitted to alert air traffic control of an onboard emergency. This grants the aircraft landing priority and ensures emergency services are positioned on the ground.
It serves as a general emergency code and therefore doesn’t indicate the specific nature of the problem onboard. It functions as a “catch-all” for any emergency scenario that isn’t a hijacking (7500) or radio failure (7600).
Following the emergency alert, the aircraft was directed straight onto the approach path and landed safely on Runway 05R at Manchester Airport without further incident.
After circling the airport, it touched down at 3.05pm, 45 minutes behind the scheduled arrival time of 2.20pm.
An easyJet spokesperson said: “Flight EZY2164 from Amsterdam to Manchester requested priority landing on arrival into Manchester on 15 July due to a technical issue.
“As a precaution and in line with standard operating procedures, the aircraft landed normally and passengers disembarked as usual. The safety of our customers and crew is always easyJet’s highest priority.”