An Emirates Airbus A380 flying out of London Heathrow experienced a problem with its landing gear, forcing the aircraft to circle for almost two hours. Witnesses reported the A380 flying over London with its gear doors open while the flight crew troubleshooted the problem.

The double decker eventually landed safely back in London two hours later, while the aircraft remains grounded at LHR at the time of publication.

Emirates A380 Landing Gear Problem Over London

Residents of South East London may have spotted an unusual sight flying overhead on the afternoon of December 31, as a giant Airbus A380 circled above while pilots attempted to fix a landing gear problem. The flight in question was one of Emirates’ services linking London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and Dubai International Airport (DXB). According to Flightradar24 data, the flight took off from Heathrow at 2:32 pm local time — over 50 minutes later than its scheduled departure time of 1:40 pm — and encountered the technical malfunction during its climb.

Video footage (at 3:00:30) from YouTube account Big Jet TV shows the A380’s gear doors remaining open as it climbed out of Heathrow. The aircraft stopped its climb at under 6,000 feet, eventually climbing to 10,000 feet as it circled over the southeast suburbs of London. It continued this holding pattern for almost 90 minutes before returning to Heathrow, landing safely at the airport almost two hours after departure. While all of this was happening, Emirates Flight EK2 became Flightradar24’s most-tracked flight, attracting over 5,000 live viewers at times.

Simple Flying reached out to Emirates and received the following statement,

« Emirates flight EK2 departed London Heathrow for Dubai on December 31, 2025, after 1.40 pm as scheduled, but returned to LHR shortly after take-off due a technical fault. The flight landed back in LHR and passengers and crew were safely disembarked. All passengers will be rebooked to depart on future Emirates flights from LHR. »

Reducing Fuel For A Safe Landing

The A380 was scheduled to fly to Emirates’ Dubai hub, which is around seven hours from London Heathrow by air. As a result, the aircraft was loaded with fuel for the journey, meaning it was well above its Maximum Landing Weight (MLW). The A380 has an MLW of 851,000 pounds (386,000 kg), while its Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW) is 1,268,000 pounds (575,000 kg).

The aircraft did not return to Heathrow immediately, as it would not have been able to land at a weight below its MLW, given its loaded fuel tanks. This is why it spent approximately 90 minutes in a holding pattern over London, which was enough time to burn off sufficient fuel and reduce the aircraft’s weight.

The reason aircraft have a certified maximum weight for landings is to ensure the airframe and its landing gear does not exceed its structural limitations. Landing at a heavy weight puts additional strain on the aircraft, increasing the chances of an accident or structural damage.

Aircraft Remains Grounded In London

The aircraft involved in this incident is a nine-year-old Airbus A380 registered as A6-EUF. The plane has flown under Emirates its entire service life since it was delivered in October 2016 and can accommodate up to 484 passengers — 14 in first class, 76 in business class, 56 in premium economy, and 338 in economy class.

According to data from ch-aviation, A6-EUF has accumulated over 34,000 flight hours and more than 4,000 flight cycles during its time in service. Generally speaking, landing gear malfunctions are quickly repaired, so the aircraft is likely to re-enter service in the coming days, rather than facing an extended spell in a maintenance hangar.

Emirates is the world’s largest A380 operator with more than half of the world’s active A380 fleet operated by the Dubai-based carrier. With almost 100 active A380s today, the airline still has over a dozen planes parked and is aiming to have 110 operational A380s by the end of 2026.