Trending

British Airways flight scheduled for Germany flies to Scotland in route mix-up

A Monday morning British Airways flight scheduled to fly from London, England, to Dusseldorf, Germany, accidentally went to Edinburgh, Scotland, instead.

>> Read more trending news

The error has been attributed to an incorrect flight plan filed by WDL Aviation, which operated the flight on behalf of British Airways, USA Today reported. This led the pilot and cabin crew to believe the flight was bound for Edinburgh.

Air traffic controllers followed the same flight plan and saw nothing amiss, British Airways officials told The Associated Press.

Zsófia Szabó, a passenger on the flight, told CNN she noticed something may have been amiss when she saw mountains outside the cabin window instead of the "usual German landscape." A coworker brought up Google Maps on their phone, she said, and noted the plane was in Scotland.

"When we landed there was a bit of a hilarious moment when the flight attendant asked for a show of hands for the people going to Dusseldorf, which turned out to be everyone," Szabó said.

The pilot apologized to passengers, then announced the plane would refuel and head to Dusseldorf.

Most passengers didn’t seem mad about the situation and instead found it funny, Szabó said.

Why an incorrect flight path was filed remains unclear.

"We are working with WDL Aviation, who operated this flight on behalf of British Airways, to establish why the incorrect flight plan was filed. We have apologized to customers for this interruption to their journey and will deal with them all individually. Customers are en route to Dusseldorf currently,” British Airways spokesman Chip Garner said in a statement.

WDL Aviation said they’re also investigating the incident:

“We are working closely with the authorities to investigate how the obviously unfortunate mix-up of flight schedules could occur," said WDL spokesperson Joachim Schöttes. “At no time has the safety of passengers been compromised. We flew the passengers on the flight with number BA3271 to Dusseldorf after the involuntary stopover in Edinburgh.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.