A United Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport folloing reports of smoke in the cabin.
Emergency services rushed to the United Airlines flight UA949 after it landed back at the airport and reportedly stopped the aircraft on the taxiway.
The plane had been due to fly to San Francisco and was over Milton Keynes when it was forced to make an emergency landing after taking off at 12.23pm.
It was reported that the plane stopped climbing at around 15,000 feet after leaving Heathrow Airport at around 2pm today.
The Boeing 777-200 aircraft then made a U-turn to make an emergency landing back at the airport, where it was escorted to the gate by three fire engines.
The return London was due to a technical fault, AirLive reported.
Heathrow Airport confirmed the plane landed safely and there was no wider impact on operations.
United Airlines has been contacted for comment.
Jerry Dyer from Big Jet TV, who was filming at Heathrow when the plane returned back to the airport, told Metro that there was no smoke when the place landed ‘safely.’
The United Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport this afternoon
Police and fire crews stopped the aircraft on the taxiway shortly after landing
The steps were taken to the aircraft shortly after it landed to allow passengers to leave the plane
The plane made a U-turn over Milton Keynes shortly after taking off from Heathrow Airport
He said the plane had used a general emergency code, which could be anything from ‘minor technical issues to a problem with a passengers like a health issue.’
Jerry praised the emergency services, the plane crew and Heathrow for their response, saying the fire engines and ambulances were already on the tarmac as a precaution.
In a statement on its website, United Airlines said: ‘We’re sorry for returning to London Heathrow. Our maintenance team needs to evaluate a technical issue on your plane before we depart again. We appreciate your patience, and we’ll keep you updated as we get more information.’
The flight is currently listed as ‘delayed’.
