A United Airlines aircraft circled over the English Channel before returning to Heathrow on Wednesday due to a “maintenance issue”.
The US-bound flight, with 227 passengers and a crew of 13 on board, left the airport at 10.35am on its way to Newark, New Jersey, but was forced to divert shortly after take-off.
The Boeing 767 was expected to land back at Heathrow at 1.15pm, but flight radar websites showed the aircraft still circling over the Channel at 12,000 feet.
United Airlines confirmed that Flight UA28 landed safely at Heathrow at shortly before 4pm.
It is understood to have been circling over the English Channel in order to burn fuel before landing.