A UK-bound Jet2 flight was forced to declare an emergency mid-air this afternoon, after departing from Spain. Flight LS178 took off from Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport at 2.20pm local time, headed for Glasgow. Roughly two hours into the journey, when it reached the airspace between northern France and England’s south coast, the Boeing 737-800 transmitted a Squawk 7700 code. 

At approximately 4.20pm local time (3.20pm GMT), the aircraft issued the international signal for a general emergency. According to aviation tracking data, it immediately and rapidly descended from its cruising altitude as it turned away from its original flight path toward Scotland.

Squawk 7700 allows Air Traffic Control (ATC) to clear the surrounding airspace and provide the distressed aircraft with priority handling for a landing.

ATC instructed the Jet2 plane to make an unscheduled landing at Bristol Airport, touching down just before 4pm. 

Emergency services are typically positioned on the ground as a precautionary measure when these divrsions occur, to ensure the safety of the passengers and crew upon arrival.

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While Jet2 has not confirmed the exact nature of the incident, a Squawk 7700 is the international aviation transponder code used by pilots to indicate a “general emergency”.

Activating this code immediately alerts ground controllers, allowing for priority handling, such as direct routing or emergency landing clearance.

Common causes include engine failure, medical emergencies, or technical issues.

Jet2 has been contacted for comment.