BA Flight Diverted In Fire Alert
The British Airways flight spent 12 hours at the regional airport of Uralsk before its passengers were taken from the former Soviet republic to the UK.
A warning of fire in the hold, which caused the landing, was discovered to be a false alarm but other problems stopped the Boeing 747 from taking off.
Three planes took the 354 passengers to London, the last arriving on Sunday.
The problems began with an emergency landing at Uralsk, which happened safely, said a British Airways spokeswoman.
The Boeing 747 was unable to take off again because its weight was unsuitable for the runway.
Three smaller aircraft were despatched to take the passengers to London, but there were no steps high enough at the airport so those on board had difficulty disembarking.
"We would not have let passengers off until it was safe," said the BA spokeswoman.
"It is not ideal compared to what we would normally have, but we were using the resources we had to get people off the aircraft and stretch their legs."
Apology
After a 12-hour wait the passengers were all taken to London, one group arriving on the Saturday and the other two landing early on the Sunday.
The jet was also carrying a cargo of bees, but they did not set off the fire sensors and were still in their packaging, the spokeswoman said.
"We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience, but safety and security are our top priorities and will not be compromised," she added.
Source: BBC News
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