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A Boeing 777-300ER operated by American Airlines was forced to return to London Heathrow Airport twice in two days while attempting transatlantic flights to the United States. The aircraft, registered as N722AN, is now scheduled for a third attempt at crossing the Atlantic later today.
On July 29, flight AA21 departed from London Heathrow en route to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. After taking off at 11:04 local time and flying over England and Wales, the plane circled near the southwestern tip of Wales before returning to London, landing at 13:03. Aviation A2Z reported that the diversion was due to a technical fault with the jet's environmental control systems. Maintenance teams confirmed that while the issue could be fixed, it was not possible to do so during flight. The possibility of continuing on to New York JFK for repairs was considered but ultimately declined by the Captain.
After spending more than a day on the ground for repairs, N722AN attempted another westbound journey on July 30 as flight AA107 to New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport. This departure was delayed by two hours because of an air traffic control failure in the UK. After taking off at 19:07 local time and reaching as far as southern Ireland, the aircraft again turned back due to another technical issue and landed at Heathrow at 20:52.
