British Airways flight to Chicago declares emergency over Ireland

A British Airways transatlantic flight to Chicago declared an emergency over Ireland on Monday after a rapid descent from cruising altitude, according to tracking data cited in reports.

Flight BA295, a Boeing 777-200ER registered as G-VIIA, departed London Heathrow's Terminal 5 at 11:50 local time for an eight-hour, 40-minute service to Chicago O'Hare International Airport. About an hour into the flight, after reaching 37,000 feet, the aircraft began a steep descent, dropping roughly 28,000 feet to 9,000 feet within minutes.

The crew then squawked 7700, the international code for a general emergency. A rapid descent to below 10,000 feet is standard practice in cases such as a loss of cabin pressure, though no cause has been confirmed.

The aircraft remained airborne over central Ireland while the crew coordinated with air traffic control, weighing a diversion to Shannon or Dublin or a return to Heathrow. It subsequently turned back and was confirmed to be returning to Heathrow, with an expected landing around 14:20 local time.

The airline has not commented on what prompted the emergency, and no injuries have been reported. The flight was still in progress at the time of the latest update.