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Flight crew issued the signal for an emergency roughly an hour into the journey.
17:09, Mon, May 11, 2026 Updated: 17:24, Mon, May 11, 2026
The plane was travelling from Glasgow to Spain. (Image: Getty)
A Ryanair flight from Glasgow to Spain has declared a mid-air emergency and been forced to turn around part-way through the journey. Flight FR7842 took off from Glasgow Prestwick Airport at 7.31am on Monday morning, headed to Murcia in southeastern Spain.
It reached a cruising altitude of 35,000 feet before sending out Squawk 7700, the international code for a general emergency, a little after an hour into the journey. Flight tracking data showed the Boeing 737 MAX 8200 turning back over the Channel as it returned to the UK.
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The flight turned back to the UK. (Image: AirNav Radar)
The plane then diverted to London Stansted Airport, touching down at 9.10am - one hour and 39 minutes after takeoff.
Ryanair has not confirmed the specific nature of the emergency, but choosing to turn back suggests the situation requires immediate attention, Air Live reports.
Passengers waiting for the plane in Murcia should expect significant delays.
Squawk 7700 is the international transponder code used by pilots to indicate a general in-flight emergency to Air Traffic Control (ATC).
Entering this code alerts controllers immediately, giving the aircraft priority handling, clearing airspace, and prompting emergency services to stand by at the nearest airport.
While serious, it is often used as a precautionary measure to gain priority handling for a safe landing. Once activated, it often triggers alerts on flight tracking apps like Flightradar24.
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