American Airlines AAL735 Boeing 777 declares emergency and returns to Heathrow after northwest England turn

ADS-B data reviewed by SkyMeter shows that American Airlines flight AAL735, a Boeing 777-300ER registered N734AR, departed London Heathrow (EGLL) at 14:14 UTC on June 10, 2026, bound for Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The aircraft lifted off heading northwest, turned north, and climbed steadily over the following 35 minutes to a peak altitude of 31,675 feet.

At 14:59 UTC, while cruising at approximately 31,553 feet in the vicinity of Barrow Walney Island Airport on the northwest coast of England, the aircraft broadcast a Squawk 7700 general emergency transponder code. The track then shows a series of left turns, swinging from a westerly heading through south and then east in the area of RAF Northolt, before the aircraft aligned for a return to Heathrow. Ground speed increased notably through the turn sequence, reaching a maximum of 603 knots during the descent phase.

The descent from cruise altitude was continuous, with the steepest recorded rate reaching 4,740 feet per minute during the initial descent. A stabilized approach was established at approximately 1,793 feet on a heading of 270 degrees, and touchdown was recorded at around 15:34 UTC, roughly 80 minutes after departure. The cause of the emergency has not been established from available data.

The complete flight track, including the emergency squawk event and the return routing across northern and central England, can be replayed on SkyMeter.