BA flight from London in emergency landing after ‘cockpit fills with fumes’
Pilots on Canada-bound plane reportedly needed oxygen masks

A British Airways flight from Heathrow to Canada was forced to make an emergency landing last night after smoke and fumes was reported in the cockpit.
The plane, carrying around 200 passengers, “was almost six hours into the eight-hour flight” when it was diverted, says The Sun.
Flight BA103 had departed London at 6.30pm and was due to land at Calgary International Airport, in Alberta, at 8.15pm local time (12.15am GMT). But instead, it was diverted to an airport in the remote Canadian city of Iqaluit, where fire crews rushed to the runway.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Video footage “showed emergency vehicles surrounding the flight after it landed”, says the Daily Mirror.
Canadian media said the plane’s pilots wore oxygen masks as they landed at Iqaluit Airport, on Baffin Island in the Nunavit terrority.
Aviation journalist Tom Podolec tweeted: “Burning smell/fumes in cockpit. Pilots wore oxygen masks. A passenger had a sore arm; treated by medics.”
Iqaluit Airport “primarily serves domestic flights, but over the years there have been a number of emergency landings from international flights, or stopovers for flights that needed to refuel”, says CBC News.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
According to local newspaper Nunatsiaq News, passengers on the diverted BA plane were taken to hotels on school buses, before boarding a replacement aircraft to Calgary this morning.
In an emailed statement to the paper, BA said: “We are very sorry for the delays to customers’ travel plans as a result of a technical fault with one of our aircraft.
“We are caring for the affected customers. The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority and we would never operate a flight unless it was safe to do so.”
-
Inside The Peninsula, London’s first billion-pound hotel
The Week Recommends As the capital’s super-luxury hotel scene continues to expand, the respected brand is still setting the standard
-
AI is making houses more expensive
Under the radar Homebuying is also made trickier by AI-generated internet listings
-
Sudoku medium: October 22, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime minister
In the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of Taiwan
In the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdown
IN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American cities
Under the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctions
The Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago