A passenger jet from London Heathrow to New Delhi was forced to turn back and make an emergency landing after a problem on board.

The IndiGo Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner headed back to Heathrow after the pilots detected a technical issue not long after take-off on Tuesday evening and declared a mid-air emergency, according to reports.

Over the Channel, the Boeing 787-9 stopped climbing at around 24,000 feet and transmitted an emergency squawk code 7700 before turning back towards London, according to aviation tracking reports.

The flight took off at 8.04 pm and returned to London at 9.23 pm.

In a statement, the airline said: “A technical issue was detected shortly after take-off on IndiGo flight 6E 04 operating from London to New Delhi on 22 September. Following standard operating procedures, the pilots decided to turn back and landed the aircraft safely at London Heathrow Airport. The aircraft is currently undergoing maintenance checks and will resume operations after securing all necessary clearances.”

The airline said it was making all possible efforts to minimise the inconvenience caused to passengers, including offering hotel accommodation and placing them on the next available flights to ensure they reached their destination.

“The safety of our customers, crew, and aircraft remains our top priority,” IndiGo said.

Heathrow Airport has been contacted for comment.