On May 23, 2023, Turkish Airlines Airbus A321neo en route from Istanbul to London-Gatwick is forced to report an emergency due to fuel shortage. The TC-LSN has to switch to Birmingham Airport.

First one undertook an unsuccessful landing attempt in Gatwick. The pilots did not try a second time at this airport, but an air emergency was declared. First, the transponder code 7700 was broadcast. This represents a general emergency. It was specified over the radio that there was a shortage of fuel. Air traffic control then assigned the machine to Birmingham Airport, which is around 180 kilometers north of Gatwick.

The medium-haul jet from Turkish Airlines was able to land safely there. How the A321neo came to be so low on fuel has yet to be investigated. In any case, one can see that the TC-TSN is in a holding pattern for around five minutes before the unsuccessful attempt to land in Gatwick. Other commercial aircraft have been able to land at London’s second busiest airport before and after with no problem.

According to official information, however, the volume of traffic in Gatwick should have played a role. The landing attempt was aborted on the instructions of the tower. The machine should then have reached the minimum values, so that a diversion to Birmingham would be necessary. The TC-TSN was refueled at the alternative location and then went to the actual destination, London-Gatwick.

The post Gatwick: Turkish-A321neo due to fuel shortage in air emergency appeared first on Aviation.Direct.