Police race to surround plane after it lands back at Heathrow Airport

Emergency services swarmed an American Airlines plane after it returned toHeathrow Airport following a suspected malfunction.

The flight had been headed to Philadelphia when it was forced to turn back after passing England’s south coast. Police vehicles andfire enginescould be seen surrounding the enormous jet in images taken at Heathrow around 2.20pm this afternoon.

The presence of the first responders sparked concern with commentators online remarking on the response. Flight tracking website Flightradar24 posted on X that the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner “didn't get very far before needing to return to London due to stuck flaps”.

READ MORE: Manchester synagogue attack victim Adrian Daulby pictured for first time

READ MORE: David Lammy heckled as he appears at Manchester terror attack vigil

The post continued: “The aircraft returned safely to LHR and taxied to a remote stand.” While the plane touched down safely, the emergency vehicles were scrambled as a precaution, the Mirror understands. The London Fire Brigade confirmed it attended the scene but said that “no direct action” was required by its crews.

The scenes came just two days after a car burst into flames at Heathrow Airport's terminal 3 car park on Wednesday morning, sparking major disruption for those heading to the airport.

Footage from the scene showed bright orange flames ripping through the structure, with thick grey smoke billowing from the site. In another clip, travellers with large bags were seen waiting along the side of a road outside Heathrow.

Heathrow Airport said the fire was quickly extinguished. The blaze sparked disruption on the M4 tunnel heading to Terminals 2 and 3, and drivers faced delays as it briefly closed.

The London Fire Brigade said: "Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters were called to a fire in a multi-storey car park at Heathrow Airport. A car on level one was destroyed by fire and two adjacent vehicles sustained minor damage.

“There were no reports of any injuries. The Brigade’s Control Officers took the first of eight calls to the fire at 0904 and sent crews from Heathrow, Hayes and Feltham fire stations to the scene. The fire was under control by 1006.”