British Airways A380 returns to Johannesburg after smoke prompts overweight landing

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Global Industry News

British Airways A380 returns to Johannesburg after smoke prompts overweight landing

Policy

Sean Doyle, Chairman and Chief Executive | British Airways

By Sky Industry News

Aug 23, 2025

Earlier this month, a British Airways Airbus A380 operating flight BA55 from Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport to London Heathrow was forced to return to Johannesburg after reports of smoke in the cabin and crew rest area. The incident occurred on August 1, with the aircraft, registered as G-XLED, taking off around half an hour late at 19:56 local time.

According to data from Flightradar24, the aircraft changed course just 11 minutes after departure and began flying circuits northwest and north of Johannesburg. The jet had over 100 tons of fuel onboard for its long-haul journey but was unable to burn enough before landing back at its point of origin. As a result, the four-engine widebody made an overweight landing less than an hour after takeoff.

A spokesperson for British Airways stated: "The flight landed safely and customers disembarked normally following reports of a technical issue with the aircraft. We apologised to our customers for the delay."

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Reports shared online by one of the more than 400 passengers indicated that smoke had entered both the cabin and crew rest area. After landing, emergency services inspected the aircraft at the end of the runway before it was allowed to taxi back to the apron about ten minutes later.

The aircraft remained grounded in Johannesburg for just over two days following the incident. This led to cancellations of planned flights between London and Boston on August 2. The jet returned to Heathrow overnight on August 3 as a positioning flight numbered BA9159.

Fleet data shows that G-XLED is approximately 12 years old and is one of twelve Airbus A380s operated by British Airways. These jets average about 11.4 years in age.

Currently, British Airways operates two daily flights in each direction between London and Johannesburg using only Airbus A380s on this route. Previously, some flights were operated with Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, but now all services use the superjumbo exclusively.