British Airways pulls out of major UK airport – all flights cancelled

A British Airways service disruption has prompted the carrier to pull out of operations at a major UK gateway, resulting in the cancellation of all flights at that airport, according to multiple outlets reporting on the same event. The Daily Express notes that several routes were affected by the carrier’s withdrawal from the airport, with broader implications for schedules and passenger travel across BA’s network.

A separate account from RNZ describes the incident at London Heathrow, detailing a British Airways aircraft suffering a tail strike during an approach to the airport. RNZ characterizes the moment as dramatic on the runway and indicates that the tail strike occurred during a landing attempt, with footage circulating as the event unfolded. The RNZ piece does not specify the aircraft type, exact time, injuries, or the precise flight details, and it also notes that investigators or formal statements about causes were not included in the material provided.

Simple Flying, citing an AAIB bulletin and additional details, identifies the aircraft involved as a DHL-branded Airbus A300-600F operated by European Air Transport Leipzig. According to Simple Flying, the tail strike occurred on the initial landing attempt, followed by a go-around, and on the second landing attempt the jet touched down again and was subsequently written off. Simple Flying notes that injuries or the exact number of people aboard were not provided in the available material, and confirms only that the freighter was operating at Heathrow when the tail strike occurred, ultimately leading to the write-off reported in the AAIB bulletin.

The Simple Flying material reinforces the DHL A300-600F involvement and states the tail strike happened during the first approach, with a second touchdown after the go-around. It emphasizes that no other aircraft were reported as involved, and that the second touchdown was followed by the aircraft being written off. The reporting also references the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch as contributing information via the AAIB bulletin, while noting that emergency-response specifics, including fire services or recovery operations, are not laid out in the provided material and that there is no casualty information or preliminary conclusions beyond the write-off.

Beyond Heathrow’s tail-strike report, PYOK provides broader context indicating that investigators were dispatched to the scene. However, the supplied material from PYOK does not offer additional detail on emergency services or the specific response at the airport. The other outlets do not furnish further explicit information about the on-site response beyond the fact of the investigation and the write-off.

The Sun adds to the coverage by outlining a broader aviation disruption landscape around the same timeframe, focusing on a nationwide 24-hour strike in Spain expected to disrupt aviation operations on November 11, 2026. The Sun mentions that staff nationwide would walk out, affecting inbound and outbound services and causing delays and cancellations across multiple locations, though it does not name specific airports or flight numbers. Other sources cited by The Sun note disruptions to Madrid–Barajas and Barcelona–El Prat, with airlines issuing waivers ahead of the strike.

Riviera Radio and Canarian Weekly contribute supplementary regional context to the disruption pattern around the same period, noting weather-related cancellations tied to Storm Charles impacting flights departing Nice Côte d’Azur Airport and flights throughout southern France and into the Iberian Peninsula. Riviera Radio specifies heavy rain and gusty winds affecting Nice and linking cancellations to the storm’s approach toward Spain and Portugal on 11 November, without providing exact cancellation tallies. Canarian Weekly reports six cancellations at two Canary Islands airports on the morning of 11 November amid a general strike in Spain, with three cancellations at Tenerife South and three at Gran Canaria, but without detailing the airlines or flight numbers involved.

Simple Flying’s additional notes describe BA CityFlyer operating short-haul services affected by the broader cancellation pattern, highlighting leisure-focused routes in the UK and Europe that were canceled rather than BA’s long-haul program from London Heathrow. The report also mentions a separate set of notes about BA announcing new or returning international routes, but specifies that the exact routes, launch dates, or city pairs were not disclosed in the supplied material. The broader aviation-expansion context includes other carriers’ plans, but the materials do not tie these developments to the Heathrow disruption beyond noting the wider industry environment.