A British Airways service from London to Texas turned back just as the aircraft reached North America, resulting in passengers enduring a nine-hour flight to nowhere.
Flight records show that the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, headed to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, had just crossed the Canadian border before backtracking on Monday.
British Airways later said the turnaround was a precaution due to a “minor technical issue” and it had apologized to customers on the flight.
The exact cause of the issue was not specified by British Airways, but several outlets reported that it was connected to the aircraft’s engines.
The flight left London Heathrow at 9.27am BST on Monday, and landed again at the same airport at 6.54am the following day – a total of nine hours and 27 minutes in the air.
Similar, successful flights to Houston only take about 30 to 40 minutes longer on average.
The Independent understands that the issue was not serious enough to have the plane grounded immediately but required inspection and potential engineering work.
Rather than grounding at Houston or another US airport, the flight returned to London where British Airways has technicians and resources to resolve the issue.
A statement from British Airways read: “The flight returned to London Heathrow as a precaution due to a minor technical issue. It landed safely and customers disembarked as normal.
“We’ve apologized to our customers for the disruption to their journey.”
The Independent understands that all passengers were rebooked onto alternative flights to Houston, including any missed connecting flights in the US.
Hotel accommodation and information on how to claim for any additional expenses, were also provided.