British Airways passengers' fury as nine-hour 'flight to nowhere' turns back mid-air

The Boeing 777, which typically carries more than 300 people, left London on Tuesday morning for San Jose in Costa Rica but never completed the trip

A British Airways flight ended up being a nine-hour trek to nowhere for hundreds of passengers after the plane, halfway across the Atlantic, had to turn back due to a technical issue. The Boeing 777, which can carry over 300 people, was en route from London to San Jose in Costa Rica on Tuesday morning but never completed its journey.

According to Flightradar24, the flight left around 30 minutes behind schedule and, after about five hours into the flight, it made an abrupt U-turn over the Atlantic Ocean, returning to Europe. The 5,431-mile trip that usually takes around 10 hours saw this particular flight landing back at Gatwick Airport approximately nine hours after departure.

One disgruntled passenger shared their experience on social media: "Flew halfway to Costa Rica and @BritishAirways have decided to turn us around because apparently all of the water has leaked out of the aircraft."

They continued: "On the way back to London with no word of compensation or another flight we can board when we land. Mess ! ! ! " The passenger also commented on the atmosphere onboard: "The mood was so bad on the plane when it became apparent we spent over eight hours flying from Gatwick to Gatwick."

British Airways responded to the incident, telling Business Insider: "We're sorry for the delay in our customers' travel plans after their aircraft experienced a minor technical issue."

BA added: "Our teams looked after our customers during the delay and worked hard to get them on their way as quickly as possible."

This wasn't the first instance in recent months where BA passengers have experienced a 'flight to nowhere'. In June, a Boeing 787s was forced to turn around after flying 2,300 miles to Newfoundland in Canada due to a technical issue. It's not unusual for British Airways flights to return to a London airport hub when a technical problem is detected, rather than continuing to the intended destination.

This is because it's simpler and more cost-effective to organise replacement flights and fix the aircraft. The Boeing 777 involved in Tuesday's U-turn was back in the air the next day, as reported by Flightradar24.