Turkish Airlines flight from Lyon lands at alternative Istanbul airport after emergency signal

Turkish Airlines flight TK1808 from Lyon landed at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport on October 14 after transmitting emergency code 7700 and diverting from its intended destination.

Flightradar24 said the aircraft held and made two approaches to Istanbul Airport before changing course. Its original destination was Istanbul Airport, identified by the code IST.

AirNav Radar also records the arrival at Sabiha Gökçen, coded SAW, listing a landing at 16:20 Turkish time. Aviation outlet AirLive identified the aircraft as an Airbus A321neo operating the Lyon service.

The transponder code indicates a general emergency without specifying its cause. It does not automatically establish an imminent crash risk. The Flightradar24 statement relayed by RIA Novosti did not identify the precise reason for the signal.