Cockpit warning diverts London flight to Exeter

A scheduled flight from London Gatwick to Cornwall Airport Newquay was diverted to Exeter on Tuesday evening (April 15) after a cockpit warning light indicated a possible issue.

The Eastern Airways T3 458 service was nearing its destination when a warning light appeared for a “flap configuration issue”.

The aircraft, an ATR 72-600, was diverted to Exeter Airport as a precaution due to strong and gusting winds around Newquay.

According to the airline, the warning light extinguished during the aircraft’s descent to Exeter, where it landed “normally and safely”.

A spokesperson for Eastern Airways said: “The passengers were then transported by road to Newquay while the aircraft underwent engineering checks as a precaution. The aircraft will not be released back into service until the cause of the spurious warning light has been identified.”

They added: “We would like to apologise to our customers who were affected by this diversion but reassure everyone that safety is always our top priority at Eastern Airways.”

Flight tracking data shows the aircraft, operating as flight EZE58LN, departed London Gatwick at around 6pm. It initially approached Newquay before diverting to Exeter, where it landed without incident.

No injuries or major delays were reported.