Flights declare emergency after Gatwick Airport runway closed

Noora Mykkanen | Senior Live News reporter Published July 15, 2026 6:58am Updated July 15, 2026 6:58am Fourteen flights had to be diverted to other UK airports after the issue (Picture: AFP/Getty Images) Several flights to London Gatwick were diverted across the UK after the airport’s runway suddenly closed. Planes carrying hundreds of passengers were preparing to land at the UK’s second-busiest airport when the runway was forced to shut overnight. This was due to an issue with an aircraft that had touched down earlier. British Airways, TUI, easyJet and Jet2 flights were diverted to other airports as an emergency move, including Stansted, London Heathrow, Luton and Birmingham. The landing area is understood to have been blocked by a BA flight from Palma de Mallorca, which was surrounded by