Source: Simon Hradecky | www.avherald.com

A British Airways Boeing 777-200, registration G-ZZZA performing flight BA-174 from New York JFK,NY (USA) to London Heathrow,EN (UK) with 202 passengers and 13 crew, was enroute at FL370 over the Atlantic Ocean about 400nm eastnortheast of St. John’s,NL (Canada) when the crew received a cargo smoke indication, declared Mayday and diverted to St. John’s advising ATC that both forward and aft fire bottles had been discharged. The aircraft descended to FL240 for the way back, due to winds about 200 knots slower westbound than it had been eastbound, and landed safely on St. John’s runway 29 about 90 minutes after turning around. Emergency services did not find any trace of fire, heat or smoke.

A passenger reported the captain announced there was an alarm, a potential fire indication, for the forward cargo hold.

A replacement Boeing 777-200 registration G-VIIJ was dispatched from London Heathrow to St. John’s as flight BA-9156 but has not yet departed from St. John’s about 5.5 hours after landing.

The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in St. John’s about 18 hours after landing.