Seven-hour flight to nowhere after British Airways A380 turns back to Joburg

Passengers aboard British Airways flight BA54 endured a seven-hour flight to nowhere after the London-bound Airbus A380 returned to Johannesburg when its weather-radar system failed mid-route. The A380, registered G-XLEJ, climbed to 34,000 feet and headed north towards London Heathrow. The A380 spent roughly two hours circling while burning fuel to reach a safe maximum landing weight. Repairs and a second departureThe aircraft underwent maintenance checks and repairs to its weather-radar system. Later that evening, G-XLEJ was cleared to operate as BA54 and departed Joburg at 22:48 SAST on 8 August.