Gib-Heathrow BA flight makes emergency landing in France: All passengers safe

The BA flight from Gibraltar to London Heathrow has this evening been forced to make an emergency landing in France.

All passengers are safe. One of them told GBC News the landing was "extremely rough"

Jack Eccleston says the plane was met by the fire brigade on the tarmac.

Passengers were transported into the air terminal and will be given hotel accommodation tonight.

BA 493 was originally scheduled to take off at 4.45pm but GBC understands the co-pilot announced to passengers that some tape had "come off the plane" and required the attention of an engineer. Given that there was no one available in Gibraltar, passengers had to await the arrival of an engineer from Malaga.

After boarding the plane at around 7pm, passengers were told the engineer had discovered a further problem on the plane and that the flight would be "at risk" were it to take off without this being fixed. Thirty minutes later, the Engineer is believed to have given the all clear, and the flight departed at 7.42pm

However, upon reaching French airspace, the plane was diverted to Nantes. A witness says the pilot later announced the decision has been made because of "fumes" in the cockpit.  The pilots were forced to wear oxygen masks as a result.

GBC is contacting BA for comment. There is currently no information on when an alternative flight will be made available.