Plane carrying the German national football team’ declares mid-air emergency

A plane carrying the German football team declared a midair emergency over Scotland this morning and was forced to land at Edinburgh airport. The aircraft got into difficulty at 29,000ft about three miles west of Arbroath on the east coast and turned sharply west. It took 20 minutes to then land in the Scottish capital and the plane remained declaring an emergency until it was grounded. It was not yet clear what sparked the sudden drama of if the plane was damaged in any way. The team had been heading back to Frankfurt from Reykjavik after a 4-0 win against Iceland in a World Cup qualifying match. Stars who played, who were likely on the flight, included Chelsea’s Timo Werner and Antonio Rüdiger as well as Manchester City’s İlkay Gündoğan. Flight plans showed the Klasjet flight KLJ2703 making an abrupt turn between Dundee and Arbroath and rapidly descending. The plane, a Boeing 737, was said to be ‘squawking 7700’ – meaning its transponder was reporting the craft had an emergency. It arched around Dunfermline and Falkirk before landing safely in Edinburgh at around 4am UK time. The team’s official account Tweeted: ‘#infotweet. Safety first. Safe stopover as a precaution in Edinburgh. From there, individual onward and return journeys are planned.’ A follow-up message said: ‘We are fine. Safety checks on the aircraft are continuing.’ The flight had taken off at 1.05am local time (2.05am BST) from Reykjavik’s international airport. The German football team, Edinburgh airport and Klasjet have been approached for comment.