The Emirates plane, an Airbus A380, experienced a technical problem during the flight and was forced to circle over London for 90 minutes before returning to Heathrow Airport on New Year’s Day, media reported.
The double-decker plane took off from the Heathrow runway at 2:32 p.m., 52 minutes later than planned, and was originally supposed to arrive in Dubai at 12:40 a.m., according to the British tabloid The Daily Mail.
According to the report, shortly after takeoff the crew reported a problem with the landing gear door. In addition, the aircraft significantly exceeded the maximum allowable landing weight (MLW), necessitating a fuel dump to ensure a safe landing and prevent structural overload of the aircraft.
RTO: After stopping the climb at 10,000ft and 80 minutes holding SE of London to burn fuel, Emirates #EK2 London/Heathrow to Dubai (Airbus A380 A6-EUF) just returned to LHR.
LHR webcams & livestreams: https://t.co/yHyixUbBjH
(c) FlightFocus365 pic.twitter.com/OvVangtc0G
— Airport Webcams (@AirportWebcams) December 31, 2025
– For about 90 minutes, the plane circled at an altitude of 3,000 meters above Orpington, southeast of London, so that the engines would burn enough fuel and reduce the weight of the plane – according to the Daily Mail.
After the aircraft’s weight was reduced to within safe limits, the aircraft was cleared for approach and landed at Heathrow approximately two hours after take-off.
Maximum Landing Weight (MLW) for the Airbus A380 typically ranges between 386,000 and 394,000 kilograms.
(Vijesti.ba)
