SAN FRANCISCO—British Airways flight BA286 made an emergency landing in Vancouver enroute to London on Monday, October 24. Twenty-five crew members had to be taken to the hospital, including 3 pilots due to “feeling ill” according to British Airways. No passengers were admitted to hospitals for treatment.

The British Airways Airbus A380 departed at 7 p.m. PST and landed in Vancouver several hours later as reported by the Mirror UK. After the plane landed, emergency vehicles arrived to aid the sick crew members and to escort them for precautionary medical examinations. Firefighters boarded the plane with respirators according to Liz Keller, a passenger aboard flight BA286 who utilized Twitter to post what transpired on the plane.

Passenger Liz Keller tweets about her experience.
Passenger Liz Keller tweets about her experience.

 

Passenger Tweet regarding emergency vehicles and assistance.
Passenger’s Tweet regarding emergency vehicles and assistance.

Ten crew members were sent to Richmond Hospital, and another 10 were sent to Vancouver General Hospital, and the remaining 5 crew members were taken to Delta Hospital. All crew members receiving care at Richmond or Vancouver General Hospitals were released at approximately 8 a.m. on October25.

Information on the five members staying at Delta Hospital has not yet been confirmed. Initial reports of “smoke inhalation” as a potential cause for the crew member illnesses has been revised.

“It’s a rapidly changing situation and right now, I can’t confirm that it was smoke inhalation that actually brought them in” said Vancouver Hospital spokesman Gavin Wilson.

British Airways handed each passenger (close to 400 word) a letter with information on the emergency landing as well as flight rebooking options.

“Dear Customer I am very sorry for the disruption to your journey today. Due to unwell crew in need of medical attention we have to divert to Vancouver. As a result of the diversion the current crews will not be able to operate again today,” stated the letter.

The British Airways Vancouver Ground Team made arrangements for hotels and provided accommodations for each passenger to book a new flight.

Passenger posts letter to Twitter.
Passenger posts letter to Twitter.

British Airways is still determining the exact cause of the “illness” crew members experienced.