An easyJet flight bound for Glasgow has been forced to divert back to Faro after declaring an onboard emergency.
EasyJet flight EZY29FE departed the Portuguese airport at 9:33pm on Monday for the flight to Glasgow Airport, scheduled to land there three hours and 20 minutes later.
However, flight tracking site FlightRadar24 shows the plane - an Airbus A320 - turning back towards Faro around seven minutes after takeoff.
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Online reports suggest the pilots issued an emergency squawk 7700 code as the plane was in the air above the village of Salir, about 30 kilometres from Faro.
The squawk 7700 code is reserved for emergency situations and immediately alerts Air Traffic Control (ATC) and other nearby planes that the aircraft squawking 7700 is in distress.
Flight data shows the plane then spent a short period of time circling over the Atlantic Ocean 'to burn off fuel' before landing at Faro Airport just after 10pm, reportedly 'under emergency conditions'.
Inbound flights to Faro were also reported to have entered into a 'holding pattern' to allow the plane to land.
EasyJet chiefs later confirmed the incident and revealeved the emergency landing was due to a technical issue.
A spokesperson told Glasgow Live: "EasyJet can confirm that flight EZY6844 from Faro to Glasgow returned to Faro due to a technical issue. The aircraft landed safely and was met by emergency services as a routine and precautionary measure.
"Once the aircraft was at its stand all passengers disembarked normally. The safety of its passengers and crew is easyJet's highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers’ guidelines.”
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