British Airways BA105 Shuts Down a Trent 1000 Engine and Diverts to Athens on the Way to Dubai

British Airways flight BA105 from London Heathrow to Dubai diverted to Athens overnight on November 14-15, 2026, after the crew shut down one of the Boeing 787-10’s two Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines. The jet, registered G-ZBLC, landed safely at Athens shortly before 2 a.m. local time on Sunday.

What caused the shutdown has not been confirmed. British Airways has not published a statement on the cause.

How the diversion unfolded

BA105 took off from Heathrow at about 8:13 p.m. UK time on Saturday, November 14, according to FlightAware data. The flight normally runs overnight to Dubai, a trip of a little under eight hours.

Roughly three hours in, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was cruising at 37,000 feet about 190 nautical miles south of Athens when the crew shut down the right-hand engine and turned for the Greek capital, The Aviation Herald reported. Flightradar24 data cited in a live blog by The Aviation Hub showed the jet making a wide turn south of Crete and then tracking north across the island.

The crew set transponder code 7700, the general emergency signal, which gives a flight priority with air traffic control. Greek outlet Voicenews reported that rescue and fire crews took up positions at the runway and that other arrivals were briefly held so the Dreamliner could land first.

FlightAware recorded the landing at 23:53 UTC, which was 1:53 a.m. in Athens. The Aviation Herald said the jet touched down on runway 03R at Athens International Airport about 50 minutes after the shutdown.

The jet stopped on a taxiway, apparently for a check by emergency services, before it was sent to the cargo apron, The Aviation Hub reported. Voicenews reported that all passengers and crew were well.

An oil leak or an engine control fault?

Early accounts of the cause differ. A passenger told The Aviation Herald that the crew announced an oil leak in the right engine.

AIRLIVE instead described an engine control fault on the same engine. Neither account has been confirmed by British Airways or Rolls-Royce.

The reports so far describe the crew shutting the engine down as a deliberate step. What the crew saw on the flight deck before making that call has not been made public.

Twin-engine airliners like the 787 are designed to keep flying on one engine. Even so, crews normally divert to a suitable airport nearby after a shutdown instead of continuing to the destination, which for BA105 was still several hours away.

The Trent 1000 and the 787

The Trent 1000 was designed specifically for the 787 family, according to Rolls-Royce. The engine maker is moving operators of its Trent 1000 TEN to the newer Trent 1000 XE standard, which it says will stay on wing three times as long once its latest turbine blade upgrades are fitted.

The engine has drawn regulators’ attention this year. In October the FAA finalized a fan cowl directive for Trent 1000-powered 787s, aimed at protecting one engine’s oil lines from debris thrown by the other.

Nothing published so far links BA105 to that directive or to any earlier Trent 1000 issue. Any finding on the cause would come from British Airways, Rolls-Royce or an investigating authority.

A knock-on for BA’s only Dubai flight

The diversion hit a route British Airways had only just restored. The airline resumed Heathrow to Dubai flights on November 3 after an eight-month suspension linked to the conflict in the Middle East, The National reported, and it is flying one round trip a day this winter.

FlightAware listed Sunday’s return flight from Dubai, BA104, and Sunday evening’s BA105 as canceled at the time of writing. British Airways has not said publicly how or when the diverted passengers will reach Dubai.