• American Airlines Tile
    American Airlines
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    AA/AAL
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Miami International Airport, New York JFK Airport, LaGuardia Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
    Year Founded:
    1926
    Alliance:
    oneworld
    CEO:
    Robert Isom
    Country:
    United States
    Airline Group:
    American Airlines Group
    Region:
    North America
    Loyalty Program:
    AAdvantage

American Airlines flight 292 from New York (JFK) to Delhi (DEL) has found itself stranded in London Heathrow (LHR) following a medical emergency and issues over landing permissions and crew working limits. The flight landed in LHR at 10:00 AM local time on Monday and remains there at the time of publication.

UPDATE: 2022/06/01 04:44 EST BY PRANJAL PANDE

Statement from American Airlines Added

In a statement to Simple Flying, American Airlines has said AA295 from London Heathrow to Delhi will operate at 07:00 AM local time on 1st June. Statement added below.

Diverted and stuck

According to The Times of India, the trouble began on American Airlines' new route from New York to Delhi (AA292) on 29th May. The flight departed JFK at 21:40 local time, set for the 14-hour and 30-minute journey using a Boeing 777-300ER (N725AN). However, things did not go to plan, and a passenger suffered a medical emergency onboard.

The emergency forced the pilots to LHR at 09:10 AM local time, 7.5 hours into the service. This is a routine procedure and flights frequently divert to nearby airports in case a passenger onboard suffers any emergency. It seems the traveler was taken to hospital from the flight. However, for the remaining roughly 300 passengers, things have not gone smoothly.

American Airlines Boeing 777-223(ER) N754AN.jpg (2)
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Since landing in LHR at 10:10 AM, the plane has been stuck there. Passengers were issued 24-hour emergency visas and given hotel rooms to spend the day in while waiting for a new flight, according to information from a passenger. Since then, things have stalled and AA292 and its passengers remain stuck in London.

Special approval

Since American Airlines is not approved to fly from the UK to India, the carrier needed special permission from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the aviation regulator. The DGCA allowed this one-off flight, relabeling the flight AA295 for the journey to Delhi. However, by this time crew rest requirements had kicked in, and the flight could not operate on Sunday.

In a statement to Simple Flying on Tuesday night, American Airlines said,

On Sunday, American Airlines flight 292 from New York (JFK) to Delhi (DEL) diverted to London Heathrow (LHR) due to a medical emergency on board. The flight was unable to continue due to crew rest requirements and was then delayed at LHR as it awaited approval from various governmental authorities.

Flight 295 from LHR to DEL is now scheduled to depart tomorrow at 7 a.m. We apologize to our customers for this inconvenience.

American Airlines Boeing 777-323(ER) N732AN
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

One DGCA official indicated that the flight would be arriving on Wednesday (1st June), but passengers turned up at 05:00 AM on Tuesday only to be told the flight had been delayed again. Now, 300 passengers remain stuck at London Heathrow as American and the DGCA work out a solution.

It is unclear what the sticking point is. While some passengers took to Twitter to claim that the DGCA is requiring the flight to return to New York and then fly to Delhi, this contradicts the regulator's guidance. Another issue might be that the DGCA requires the return flight (re-departing Delhi) also be a special charter that flies to London or without travelers. For now, the situation is unclear.

Working on it

For now, there is little passengers can do other than wait for American Airlines and the DGCA to sort out the landing rights. If all goes well, these passengers should be in the air, bound for Delhi, by Wednesday.

Source: The Times of India, FlightRadar24.com