Medical emergency forces UK-bound Emirates plane to make unscheduled landing in Germany

A medical emergency prompted a flight from Dubai to divert to Germany. Emirates flight EK31 was travelling to London Heathrow when it sent out an emergency alert about six hours into the journey. It had left Dubai at around 11.30am local time (7.29am BST) this morning, before landing safely at Frankfurt Airport roughly six hours later, reports the Mirror . Emirates said a medical emergency involving a passenger was the cause of the diversion.

The same aircraft was expected to continue its journey to Heathrow this evening , and was scheduled to take off at about 6pm local Frankfurt time (5pm BST). A spokesperson for Emirates said: "Emirates can confirm that flight EK31 from Dubai to London Heathrow diverted to Frankfurt on 1 October due to a medical emergency involving a passenger onboard. READ MORE: Baby girl found near Welsh shoreline may have been in water for weeks, police say READ MORE: Crymych teacher got drunk on school trip and hit pupil "Our cabin crew provided assistance during the flight, and medical support was arranged on arrival.

The aircraft landed safely in Frankfurt, where the passenger disembarked to receive further medical attention. "The flight is expected to continue its journey to London Heathrow at approximately 18:00 local Frankfurt time. We apologise to customers for the delay. The health and safety of our passengers and crew is always our highest priority." The flight issued a '7700 squawk code', which is declared by pilots when an aircraft experiences an in-flight emergency that requires immediate priority handling and assistance from air traffic controllers.

This can include mechanical failures, onboard safety threats, medical emergencies or unclear or escalating situations. Ensure our latest news and sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source.