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A British Airways Dreamliner that returned to Sydney on Monday afternoon following a mayday call experienced a “false alarm”, according to reports.
Flight BA16 from Sydney to London via Singapore, operated by the 787-9 G-ZBKL (pictured at Sydney in 2022), turned around over central western NSW less than an hour into the flight after a pilot made a mayday call due to what was initially reported as a suspected fuel leak.
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“Earlier yesterday afternoon, British Airways flight BA16 from Sydney to Singapore made an emergency return to Sydney Airport approximately an hour after take-off,” a Sydney Airport spokesperson said in a statement.
“The aircraft arrived safely and was met by emergency services as part of standard procedures. All passengers have since disembarked safely, and there was no impact to airport operations.”
According to sources cited by the ABC, the incident was a “false alarm” and the plane has since been given the all-clear by a British Airways engineer.
“It was not a fuel leak issue, it was a fumes event, but it turned out to be nothing,” the source said.
The flight was subsequently cancelled and the approximately 200 passengers rebooked, with “only around a handful” having to stay an extra night in Sydney, according to a British Airways spokesperson.
One passenger, who had been seated in the aisle, told the ABC that he had been unable to smell anything himself.
“We got informed that we had to return to Sydney but there was very little to tell that there was anything wrong,” he said.
“The captain said something about being able to smell fuel or something in the cockpit.”
According to the British Airways spokesperson, the pilot had called mayday and returned to Sydney as a safety precaution.
“It was the completely right thing to do, safety is always the priority,” they told the ABC.
