British Airways apologises after pilots land jet in Scotland instead of Germany
- The detour happened after a sub-contracted crew used an incorrect flight plan
- The aircraft was operated by German charter firm WDL Aviation on behalf of BA CityFlyer
British Airways has been forced to apologise after a flight from London to Düsseldorf landed more than 965km (600 miles) away in Edinburgh by mistake.
The detour happened after a sub-contracted crew used an incorrect flight plan and set off from London City airport for the Scottish capital instead of setting course for the Rhine.
British Airways said the aircraft – a 96-seat BAE-146 regional jet – was operated by German charter firm WDL Aviation on behalf of BA CityFlyer.
The crew and aircraft were sub-contracted from WDL under an arrangement known as a “wet lease”.
“We are working with WDL Aviation, who operated this flight on behalf of British Airways, to establish why the incorrect flight plan was filed,” BA said in a statement.
“We have apologised to customers for this interruption to their journey and will be contacting them all individually.”
Startled passengers who left London at 7.30am on Monday reported at first believing that the pilot was joking, when the “welcome to Edinburgh” announcement was made from the cockpit.