British Airways Flight Delayed by Accidental Activation of Emergency Slide

An emergency slide on a British Airways flight was accidentally activated, resulting in a reported cost of £100,000 to the airline. The Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner (G-ZBLA) was scheduled to fly from Montreal to London Heathrow on Saturday when the evacuation slide was mistakenly deployed, inflating onto a catering vehicle parked next to the aircraft. The flight was delayed as ground and maintenance staff addressed the issue, according to FL360aero. The slide required thorough inspection before it could be repacked or replaced. Consequently, the aircraft arrived in London two hours and 30 minutes late, impacting a subsequent flight to Newark. A British Airways spokesman stated, 'We have apologised to customers for the delay to their journey. Our teams worked hard to get them on their way as quickly as possible.' This incident follows a similar occurrence earlier in the year when a British Airways flight was delayed for three hours after a crew member accidentally activated the emergency slide just before departure from Heathrow to Washington DC. The plane, carrying approximately 336 passengers, was attended to by emergency services while passengers remained seated. A source described the earlier incident as a 'brainless act.' In another instance last year, a staff member activated the emergency slide on a flight from Heathrow to Brussels, leading to a three-hour wait and eventual cancellation of the flight. Emergency services were also present in that situation. Additionally, in February 2024, a captain mistakenly activated the emergency slide on a flight to Romania, causing delays and a cost of £50,000 to the airline. A spokesman for British Airways reiterated their commitment to addressing delays promptly.