Jet2 flight to UK diverts after declaring midair emergency

The plane was headed for Manchester

The plane, a 737-800, was forced to divert to Split in Croatia, making a sharp turn to the south west while over the border between Bosnia and Croatia.

The plane landed safely after squawking 7700, the internationally recognised code for an emergency, giving the aircraft priority in airspace and landing.

The route of the diversion. Image: Flightradar24.

It touched down in Croatia just under two hours after taken off from Samos 13:48 local time (11:48 GMT).

Squawking 7700 can mean a number of things, from a technical fault to a medical emergency onboard.

The aircraft did not stay on the runway after landing, as some planes do in this scenario, making its way to the apron area of the airport.

More than 12,000 people tracked the plane on Flighradar24 as it diverted, the most of any in the world at that current time.