A superjumbo with 429 passengers turned back just after takeoff when the crew became 'dizzy and nauseous' from a 'burning smell' in the cabin

• A British Airways plane made an emergency landing after smoke reportedly appeared in the cabin.
• The Aviation Herald reported that a "burning smell" left cabin crew "dizzy and nauseous."

A British Airways plane turned around and made an emergency landing due to a "burning smell" in the cabin.

Flight 56 took off from O.R. Tambo Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa on Wednesday night bound for London Heathrow Airport, but returned just minutes into the journey.

The Aviation Herald, a blog that details flight emergencies, first reported that the Airbus A380-800 with 429 passengers on board stopped its ascent after crew reported smoke in the cabin and the cockpit.

It reported that it was described as a "fume event," with cabin crew complaining about dizziness and nausea.

According to FlightRadar24, a website that tracks aircraft movements, the double-decker plane turned back to Johannesburg about 35 minutes after taking off.

Edward Burke, a lecturer at University College Dublin in Ireland, said he and his family were passengers on the flight in a lengthy Twitter thread recounting the incident.

—Edward Burke (@Edward__Burke) July 15, 2023

Burke said the plane made an emergency "hard landing" after smoke appeared in the cabin. He added that passengers were told to prepare for an immediate landing, and that the cabin began to overheat after running out of oxygen.

Harry Graham, another Twitter user, said in a tweet to British Airways that the ordeal was "horribly scary," and mentioned the burning smell in the cabin.

Emergency services met the plane when it landed in Johannesburg. It was checked and eventually departed once again for Heathrow the following day.

British Airways told Insider in a statement: "Our pilots returned to Johannesburg as a precaution due to a minor technical issue, and the aircraft landed normally. We have apologized to our customers for the disruption to their journey and our teams worked hard to get everyone on their way as planned."