A British Airways Airbus A380 became stuck for nearly an hour at Boston Logan Airport on Friday afternoon after the pilots mistakenly took a wrong turn among the complex network of taxiways, ending up on one that was closed due to construction.

Flight BA213 had arrived in Boston following a six-and-a-half-hour flight from London. Despite landing ahead of schedule, passengers were left waiting on the double-deck aircraft as airport authorities figured out how to guide the plane back to the correct taxiway.

The eleven-year-old aircraft had landed on runway 4R and was instructed to taxi via N3, N, and then onto taxiway M before stopping short of runway 15L. However, the pilots accidentally crossed runway 22R and found themselves back on taxiway N, which at that point was closed for construction.

By the time the crew realized their mistake, there was no alternate route, and without the ability to reverse, the aircraft was stuck. It took around 45 minutes for airport authorities to bring a pushback tug, which towed the aircraft back to taxiway M. From there, the plane was able to proceed to the gate under its own power, and the incident concluded without further complications.

The error could prompt an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), as the aircraft crossed an active runway without clearance. Despite the delay, passengers may have been relieved that the flight made it at all, given British Airways’ recent struggles with its A380 fleet.

Alongside ongoing issues with the Rolls-Royce engines on its Boeing 787 Dreamliners, British Airways has faced rising maintenance challenges with its A380s, leading to frequent delays and cancellations. The airline’s A380s were grounded for several years during the pandemic, and long-term storage seems to have exacerbated engineering issues. The airline has cited industry-wide supply chain problems as the cause of these setbacks but remains committed to retrofitting its superjumbo fleet for continued service.

Featured image by Eric Salard