EasyJet squawking 7700 GVA-MAN
 

flightradar24 alert
G-EZWF A320-214 Maintaining FL120 over Kent. Wishing for a safe outcome.

Just seen it. Heading towards Stansted I think?

Agreed, hoping for a safe outcome.

It has been descending and is currently at 525 feet heading towards Stansted Airport.

Landed at Stanstead
 

Looks to have diverted to Stanstead - waiting for the news boys to make their first guess at the issues involved ; hope all are OK.

Looks like is down at Stansted. Was scheduled Geneva - Manchester

Reports sugesting medical emergency

Appears to be medical emergency, heart attack on board inagist.com/all/549692565650677760/

Oh dear, yawn:*

Squawk 7700!
 

The not so occasional posting "xxx squawking 7700" make me wonder, just how many "7700 squawks" occur every day around the UK / Europe / world, and just what percentage are the result of anything more serious (for the well being of the aircraft and all those on board), as opposed to a single passenger falling ill which is bad for the person involved, but of no consequence to the rest of the world.

I suspect the numbers are quite high, and the proportion quite low, which prompts the question, why make them the subject of so many postings.

If we're not careful we'll be come so used to reading about "7700s" that we'll wind up ignoring the potentially serious, as we don't want to read about the normally banal.

Why does it matter if enthusiasts and those morbidly attracted to watching someone else's peril live, miss or ignore "potentially serious" emergency squawk?

It's done for the benefit of ATC and those involved......

Agreed, it doesn't - but the problem is there are so many ill informed, to be frank, dim journalists out there who read this drivel and then act upon it.

I, personally, also fail to understand why people feel it necessary to post such things as again, until the facts come out (sick passenger for example) mountains can far too easily be made from molehills, and far too often are.

ATNotts,

If FR24 is anything to go by, I'd say on average there is at least one 7700 every day, but I am aware there are more of these than FR24 picks up on. In most cases it seems to be medical or mechanical or accidental. Rarely seems to be catastrophic (thank goodness).

Around 90% of all 7700 squawks are medical emergencies, according to CAA stats.

Which makes rubbernecking them the aeronautical equivalent of ambulance-chasing ...

Oddly enough, if I am right, the real, and some might say interesting, "emergency" of the day didn't to my knowledge squawk 7700 - at least not when I took a short look.

Same here HT - It was something along the lines of 0247 if I remember correctly. No idea if that corresponds to any meaning...

Well the first site on a Google search gives you

Squawk codes.

So look it up for yourself!!

(I think your memory is wrong though)


Why is it folk can use this site yet seem unable to do a simple search for information :confused::confused:

If I was asking for the meaning of the squawk, I would of phrased it as such. The true question is why the VS flight didn't squawk 7700.

Blimey, you'll never live a happy life if you're that negative old boy. Thanks for the tips on Google though, I'd never heard of it... :}

PS. Turns out the actual squawk was 0237. Not bad for my memory

0237 is just a standard allocated squawk. This was not its departure squawk, which was 5453. When holding over the Bristol Channel ATC probably amended the flight plan and re-allocated 3350. Upon leaving the hold over the Bristol Channel (with the decision to return to LGW), ATC will have had to again amend their flight plan data (as a diversion back to LGW) and the flight was then allocated 0237. At no time did it squawk 7700.

ImPlaneCrazy
 

The use of 7700 is to indicate an emergency that means that the aircraft or the people on board are at risk.
The safety of the Virgin 747 was not in doubt whilst airborne, the only time there was going to be a risk was on landing. They could have squawked 7700 if they had wanted to, I wouldn't have. Because air traffic have been made aware, the safety of the flight was not in doubt. and all that happens is the ambulance chasers on here are racing to be the first to post about it.

Even if it was a full blown emergency situation.
The CAA state that if the aircraft is already transmitting a discrete code and receiving an air traffic service, that code may be retained at the discretion of either the pilot or ATC.

I know its a farce book link, but I think this from the Maritime & Coastguard Agency is particularly apt.

https://www.facebook.com/MCA/photos/...type=3&theater

Its not numbers on a screen. Its not an opportunity for you to show how quickly you can post it to an internet message board, or gain one up in the "I want the world to see how much I care, then they'll think I'm a lovely person" or even "i want the plane to crash, then I can post RIP messages and gain uber points from people i've never met". Its real people, in real trouble, and whatever is happening, if they want you to know about it, they'll make an announcement in the press.

TTR