EasyJet Flight EZY8040 from Tenerife Declares Emergency at Gatwick
An easyJet Airbus A320-200 from Tenerife squawked 7700 near London and was met by fire engines on landing at Gatwick.
By The Aviation Hub
4 min read
An easyJet emergency unfolded as an Airbus A320-200 declared a mid-air emergency on approach to London Gatwick in the early hours of Sunday 19 October 2026, squawking 7700 at 29,900 feet before landing safely and being met by fire engines on the airfield.
The flight, EZY8040, had departed Tenerife at 10.10pm local time and was around four hours into its journey when the emergency code was activated near London. It was the second easyJet emergency within 24 hours, following a separate bird-strike incident that forced a Glasgow-to-Southampton service to divert to Liverpool the previous morning.
What Happened on Flight EZY8040
According to the Mirror, flight-tracking website Flightradar24 recorded the squawk 7700 general emergency code being issued at 29,900 feet as the aircraft approached London. The Airbus A320-200 was not diverted and continued to its planned destination, landing normally at Gatwick Airport (LGW).
Social media reports cited by the Mirror indicated the aircraft was met on the airfield by emergency ground support including fire engines. Squawk 7700 is the universal transponder code for a general in-flight emergency.
What easyJet Said
An easyJet spokesperson confirmed the incident involved a technical issue. The airline stated: "Flight EZY8040 from Tenerife to London Gatwick experienced a technical issue on arrival into Gatwick this morning. The flight landed normally and was met by emergency services in line with procedures and a precautionary measure only."
The spokesperson added, as reported by the Manchester Evening News: "The safety and wellbeing of customers and crew is always easyJet's highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with manufacturers' guidelines."
The Glasgow to Southampton easyJet Emergency
Less than 24 hours earlier, a separate easyJet service also squawked 7700. Flight EZY415 departed Glasgow Airport at 8.09am on Sunday 18 October, bound for Southampton, but issued a squawk 7700 emergency code around 25 minutes into the flight while at approximately 24,000 feet over Lancashire, according to Belfast Live.
The Airbus A319 was unable to continue to Southampton and diverted to Liverpool John Lennon Airport. After holding over Merseyside, it landed safely at 9.14am. Leeds Live reports that easyJet confirmed a replacement aircraft would be arranged to carry passengers onwards to Southampton.
What easyJet Said About the Glasgow Flight
easyJet confirmed the cause as a bird strike after take-off. A spokesperson told the Daily Record, as quoted by Bristol Post: "Flight EZY415 from Glasgow to Southampton this morning diverted to Liverpool in line with procedures due to a bird strike after take-off. We are arranging for a replacement aircraft to continue the flight to Southampton later this morning."
The airline added: "The safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority and while this was outside of our control, we would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused."
A Busy Period for UK Aviation Emergencies
These two easyJet events form part of a broader run of declared emergencies involving UK-based carriers in recent days. Belfast Live notes that a British Airways flight bound for Portugal turned back to Gatwick Airport earlier in the week due to a minor technical fault, and that a separate BA service destined for Chicago issued an emergency alert while over Ireland before returning to Heathrow, having circled above southern England for several hours.
You can track all active and recent declared emergencies through our Squawk 7700 hub, which serves as both a live emergency board and incident archive. For a full picture of easyJet's operations and route network, the Airline Search tool is a useful starting point.
The Bottom Line
Both easyJet flights landed safely, and in neither case were passengers reported to have been injured. The Tenerife flight's emergency was described by easyJet as a precautionary measure following a technical issue on arrival, while the Glasgow diversion was a direct response to a confirmed bird strike.
The nature of the technical issue aboard EZY8040 has not been detailed further by the airline. We will update our coverage if easyJet or any investigating authority releases additional information.
Continue to follow The Aviation Hub for more analysis and insight.
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