Flight makes dramatic diversion in South Africa

‘It was a nervous moment to be in that situation,’ says Eastern Cape premier

A British Airways 734 (Wikimedia/aeroprints.com)

A British Airways flight operated by Comair was forced to make a dramatic diversion in South Africa after the plane’s landing gear turned out to be faulty.

Flight BA6252 had taken off from East London in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province and was due to fly 476 miles north to Johannesburg on 20 February.

A decision was made to turn back to King Phalo Airport in East London just a few minutes into the flight, when the aircraft’s landing gear – consisting of the wheels and braking system used in takeoff and landing – failed to retract after the jet was airborne.

Passengers can be heard praying loudly in video from the plane cabin shared on TikTok.

Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane was onboard the service in the first-class section.

“It was a nervous moment to be in that situation, knowing when you are up there, everything is possible, coming down unceremoniously,” he told News24.

He praised the crew on the flight for their professionalism throughout the incident.

“We were all inconvenienced by the situation beyond everybody's control and I can't blame BA, rather thank them for prioritising the safety of their passengers,” he said.

“I commend how the captain and cabin crew professionally handled the situation and communicated well to settle everybody's nerves.”

The plane landed safely and none of the 111 passengers onboard were hurt in the incident.

Passengers were offered the choice of taking another flight later the same day or rebooking for another date.

A BA spokesperson said: “Our highly-trained crew made the decision to divert back to East London after experiencing a technical problem. The landing gear failed to retract.

“On the aircraft's return to the airport, the British Airways (operated by Comair) manager on duty at King Phalo Airport and her team met the 111 passengers who were onboard.

“We were able to re-accommodate passengers on a later flight on Sunday. Some passengers opted to have their flight tickets rebooked for another date. The safety of our customers and crew is always our priority.”