A British Airways flight declared a mid-air alert that triggered an emergency response at Gatwick Airport.

       BA flight EFW34R from Gatwick to Palma de Mallorca departed at 8.06am, but was forced to turn around near Le Mans in France after unconfirmed reports of smoke in the cabin, according to Sussex News.

       The plane issued a Squawk 7700 alert, indicating an emergency. It landed safely at Gatwick with the runway cleared.

       The flight was met by Gatwick Fire Service and ground crews and was taxing to a gate.

       A spokesperson for British Airways said: "The flight landed safely and customers disembarked normally following reports of a technical issue with the aircraft.

       "Our teams are working hard to get our customers’ journeys back on track as soon as possible."

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       Sussex News posted on its X account just after 9.30am: "The British Airways Flight EFW34R (BA2670) has landed safely at Gatwick and cleared the runway.

       "It was met by Gatwick Fire Service and ground crews and is now taxing to a gate. The runway has been inspected, and flight operations can now resume."

       A 7700 squawk code is used to indicate an emergency of any kind on a jet. It tells ground controllers an aircraft has a serious issue onboard and should be given help.

       This might mean engine failure, problems with cabin pressure, technical problems or urgent medical emergencies.

       Squawking 7700 gives air traffic control time to prepare for a quick landing and for the emergency services to get ready to help if they're needed.