British Airways A380 returns to Johannesburg after seven-hour round-trip due to radar fault

British Airways Flight 54, an Airbus A380 configured with 469 seats, left Johannesburg after a delay of more than five hours and was scheduled for a ten-and-a-half-hour journey to London. About two hours into the flight, the aircraft turned back over the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to Flightradar24 tracking data. It re-approached Johannesburg, entered a holding pattern north of the city, and spent over two hours circling before finally landing.

Aviation enthusiasts intercepted an ACARS message indicating a failure of the aircraft’s weather radar, a critical system for storm avoidance. The airline apologized for the inconvenience, arranged overnight lodging for affected travelers, and worked to limit further disruption.