A British Airways flight was forced to perform an emergency landing due to four passengers experiencing “smoke inhalation.” The Airbus A320, en route from Istanbul to London, diverted to Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport this afternoon. With 142 passengers onboard, the BA603 flight requested the landing at 5:50 pm local time and safely touched down at 6:14 pm. Medical teams promptly attended to the affected passengers upon arrival.
Following the landing, Romania’s Ministry of Health confirmed the presence of smoke on the plane, leading to the evacuation of all passengers. The ministry reported that four individuals were receiving on-site medical assistance for possible smoke inhalation but did not require further treatment.
British Airways emphasized their commitment to customer and crew safety, stating that the diversion was a precautionary measure due to a suspected technical issue. The spokesperson reassured that the aircraft landed safely, and passengers disembarked without incident. The airline expressed regret for the disruption caused to passengers’ travel plans and assured that efforts were underway to resume their journeys promptly.
Regarding reports of smoke onboard, British Airways denied any such claims, stating they had not received reports of smoke or hospitalizations. Flight BA603 was officially diverted, as indicated on the airline’s flight status page, with limited additional details provided.
In a separate incident, a United Airlines flight also made an emergency landing after smoke filled the cabin during the journey. Flight UA949 bound for San Francisco returned to Heathrow Airport, prompting emergency services to respond. The Boeing 777-200 aircraft, which departed London at 12:23 pm, turned back near Milton Keynes before ultimately landing back at Heathrow. United Airlines informed Air Live that the maintenance team needed to assess a technical issue before the aircraft could depart again, with the plane escorted to the gate by fire trucks.
