British Airways plane makes unscheduled landing at Heathrow airport shortly after take off

Flight BA1340 returned around 30 minutes after taking off

The flight was recalled following what BA said was a ‘minor technical fault’ (Reuters)

A British Airways passenger plane was forced to make an unscheduled landing within minutes of taking off from Heathrow.

Domestic flight BA1340 to Leeds Bradford Airport had to turn around as the captain requested a priority landing at the west London airport, following a “technical issue” on Sunday.

A “squawk 7700”message – for general aviation emergencies – was sent out by the pilots, according to @FlightEmergency, which alerts traffic control.

The Airbus A319 needed to circle above Chesham in Buckinghamshire before landing back at Heathrow around 30 minutes later.

The flight's looped path returning to London Heathrow shortly after take off (Flight Radar)

The aircraft is reported to have landed safely on runway 27 at Heathrow just before 9am.

FlightRadar, an aviation tracking website, described the flight as being cancelled and shows the looped route the aircraft took.

A British Airways spokesperson said: “The aircraft landed safely at Heathrow after the pilot requested a priority landing for a minor technical issue.

"We would never compromise on the safety and security of our customers and crew."