Ryanair flight declares mid-air emergency moments after London Stansted take-off

Ryanair flight declares mid-air emergency moments after London Stansted take-offRyanair flight FR5552 left London Stansted airport at 6.21am yesterday morning but declared an emergency and turned back, reportedly following a medical issue on boardCommentsNewsTim Hanlon News Reporter07:16, 13 Apr 2026Updated 07:33, 13 Apr 2026View ImageA Ryanair flight declared a mid-air emergency (stock image)(Image: Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)A Ryanair flight heading from the UK to Portugal declared a mid-air emergency moments after take-off.‌Flight FR5552 left London Stansted airport at 6.21am yesterday, heading for Faro, but had to turn back shortly after passing over northern France.‌And rather than returning to the busy airspace of London Stansted, the flight crew decided to divert to Bournemouth Airport. It was around 45 minutes into the journey that a Squawk 7700 (the international signal for a general emergency) was made, leading to a quick descent.‌The Ryanair plane could be seen on radar tracking make a sharp turn and losing height as it headed to the English coast and Bournemouth Airport.READ MORE: Oil prices soar as US Navy to blockade Iranian ports in Strait of Hormuz todayREAD MORE: Trump hits out at Pope Leo in extraordinary attack calling him 'weak' and 'terrible'It landed safely in Bournemouth just over an hour after its initial departure and it is reported by AirLive that there was a medical issue on board.When a pilot enters the four-digit emergency code 7700 into their transponder, it immediately alerts air traffic control that the aircraft is in distress and requires priority handling. But the nature of the incident is unclear as it acts as a "catch-all" for any emergency situation that isn't a hijacking (7500) or radio failure (7600).‌The Mirror has contacted Ryanair for comment.Last month passengers on flight Ryanair RK3226 from Manchester Airport were heading to Sandefjord Airport, Torp, in Norway, when an emergency...