Sydney, Australia: On Monday, September 8, 2025, British Airways flight BA16, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner operating from Sydney to Singapore, made an emergency return to Sydney Airport after the crew issued a mayday call roughly one hour into the flight. The aircraft landed safely, with all passengers disembarking unharmed.
The flight had departed Sydney at 2:40 PM local time. Around an hour into the journey, the crew reported a strong fuel smell in the cockpit.
“Mayday Speed Bird 16. I’m just about to come fully established on 34 left. We will have to stop for a minute after landing,” the pilot communicated during a call to air traffic control. In response, a Sydney Airport controller acknowledged, saying, “G’day, copy, mayday acknowledged.”
Passengers described a tense and unsettling experience. Screens and cabin lights began switching off mid-flight, heightening anxiety among travelers.
Mandy Ramson, a passenger on board, told 7NEWS: “We heard the captain say we need a senior crew member to come to the cockpit now, and then we started thinking there’s something wrong. About 10 minutes later, we were told, ‘We’re going to have to turn around because they smelt fuel in the cockpit.’ It was scary, it was really scary.”
Upon returning, the aircraft touched down safely at 3:56 PM, where it was met by emergency services, including up to eight fire trucks, as a precaution. Sydney Airport operations continued without disruption, and no injuries were reported.
British Airways confirmed that the return to Sydney was a precautionary measure following a reported technical issue. Subsequent engineering inspections revealed no mechanical faults, and the aircraft was cleared for future flights.
