Flights diverted from Gatwick after runway closed

Flights were diverted from London Gatwick after the airport closed its runway due to a technical issue affecting aircraft operations. According to flight radar data, a British Airways (BA) flight from Palma de Mallorca experienced technical problems, prompting Gatwick to shut the runway temporarily for “safety and security.” In the early hours of Wednesday, at least nine flights squawked the emergency 7700 code as fuel levels dropped while they waited to land. A total of 14 flights were diverted to airports including London Heathrow, Luton, Stansted, Birmingham and Bristol. Diversions affected routes from destinations such as Tenerife, Valencia, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura in Spain, Rhodes and Athens in Greece, Bari and Rome in Italy, and Agadir in Morocco. BA said its flight landed safely and passengers disembarked normally after the report of a technical fault.