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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."
