23-05-2025
British Airways flight BA118 returns to Bengaluru after ‘technical issue'
British Airways flight BA118 from Bengaluru to London was forced to return to Kempegowda International Airport on Friday afternoon due to an alleged technical malfunction. The flight, originally scheduled to depart at 6.45 am IST, had faced a one-hour delay before taking off at 7.40 am.
A passenger on board reported being informed of a malfunction in the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), which prompted the aircraft to turn back nearly two hours after departure, having reached airspace near Oman. The aircraft, Boeing 772, has now safely landed back at Bengaluru.
'BA118 BLR LON this morning returned to BLR after a few hours. We are still in the plane but no valid information other than saying they have no info. Hope to get onto the skies soon,' Satish Medapatti, one of the passengers on board, said on X. Replying to the query, British Airways acknowledged that there was a disruption in service and that it would be assisting with the booking.
The TCAS is an airborne safety system designed to prevent mid-air collisions by monitoring nearby aircraft equipped with active transponders. It provides pilots with traffic advisories for potential threats and resolution advisories with specific manoeuvres (e.g., climb or descend) to avoid collisions. The system operates independently of ground-based air traffic control, using Secondary Surveillance Radar transponder signals to track altitude and range.
Sanath Prasad is a senior sub-editor and reporter with the Bengaluru bureau of Indian Express. He covers education, transport, infrastructure and trends and issues integral to Bengaluru. He holds more than two years of reporting experience in Karnataka. His major works include the impact of Hijab ban on Muslim girls in Karnataka, tracing the lives of the victims of Kerala cannibalism, exploring the trends in dairy market of Karnataka in the aftermath of Amul-Nandini controversy, and Karnataka State Elections among others. If he is not writing, he keeps himself engaged with badminton, swimming, and loves exploring. ... Read More
