Summary
- Travelers on an American Airlines flight from Philadelphia to London experienced unexpected delays and a diversion to Gander, Canada, when a passenger fell unwell.
- Gander has a history of coping with diverted aircraft and played a big role in Operation Yellow Ribbon.
- After the diversion, passengers were left waiting many of the day in Gander before eventually departing for Philadelphia and being placed on a alternative flight the next morning to achieve their final destination in London.
Travelers on an American Airlines flight between Philadelphia and London, UK, had an unexpected stopover in Newfoundland, Canada, after a passenger fell unwell.
Emotions were already running high for passengers on the service, AA728, because it departed almost three hours late from its scheduled departure time at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) and because the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner headed across the Atlantic made a u-turn for the protection of an unwell passenger, before touching down at Gander International Airport (YQX).
Photo: Kevin Hackert / Shutterstock
Because the aircraft was not halfway across the Atlantic Ocean, the pilot decided to trace back for the passenger to hunt further medical advice.
More delays in Gander
Gander isn’t any stranger to seeing diverted aircraft and played a substantial part in Operation Yellow Ribbon within the wake of the Terrorist Attacks that 9/11, where 38 diverted aircraft to Gander when US airspace was closed, leaving 7,000 passengers isolated and on the mercy of the Gander community.
AA728 was initially set to depart from Philadelphia at 23:08 on August thirty first, eventually retreating at 02:07 the next morning. The flight operated with its expected flight path for the primary 4 and a half hours before a medical incident required the pilot to choose to make a u-turn and head for the closest hospital.
After turning around, the aircraft flew back two hours to Gander just before 09:00, positioned within the Canadian province of Newfoundland, where the passenger could seek medical advice.
Photo: Markus Mainka / Shutterstock
In keeping with data from Flightradar24.com, it appears a alternative flight was placed on for passengers the next morning, operating at AA9603; the flight was initially scheduled to depart on September 2nd at 07:00 and eventually left at 08:01; the flight finally landed at its final destination of London Heathrow at 20:02. The service was operated with the identical Dreamliner that visited Gander the day before today.
The six-year-old 787-9 Dreamliner that facilitated the service to Gander, and the eventual alternative flight, was first delivered to American Airlines in December 2016, carries the registration N825AA, and holds the serial number 40644.
Sources: Flightradar24.com