Flights from Manchester were cancelled on Sunday (December 22) amid an ’emergency’ incident at Belfast City airport. Fire crews attended the runway following an incident involving an Aer Lingus aircraft.
Emergency services were scrambled to the scene shortly after 4pm with other flights diverted to Belfast International Airport. This was due to the flight suffering a ‘hard landing’ – a nose wheel collapse – due to ‘adverse weather conditions’.
The Aer Lingus and Emerald Airlines aircraft was on a positioning flight from Edinburgh. There were four crew on board no passengers at the time of the incident, BelfastLive reported.
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The runway was later closed as crews responded. Flights from Manchester to Belfast City were among those cancelled. Some were rescheduled or rerouted to Belfast International, with flights from Manchester facing delays.
A spokesperson from Emerald Airlines said: “An Emerald Airlines positioning flight, EA701P, with no passengers on board, flying from Edinburgh to Belfast City Airport, December 22 2024, experienced a hard landing upon arriving into Belfast City Airport due to adverse weather conditions.”
According to the Manchester Airport departures page, the 4.10pm flight to Belfast City and the 7.40pm flight were both cancelled.
Flights from Belfast City to Manchester were also cancelled on Sunday, including those at 2.25pm, 3.50pm and 6pm.
A spokesperson for Belfast City airport said: “At around 16:00 today, Sunday December 22, an Aer Lingus regional flight, operated by Emerald Airlines, had an incident on landing at Belfast City Airport.
“This was a positioning fight with no passengers but four crew members on board. The airport’s emergency procedures were enacted.
“The runway is currently closed and will be for the rest of the day. Passengers are asked to contact their airline.”
A spokesperson for Belfast International Airport added: “Following the incident at Belfast City Airport this afternoon we have taken four diverted flights.
“As we already had a heavier schedule than usual, we are now, with these additional flights, close to capacity so we are limited in how many more redirected flights we can take this evening, however we will continue to support where possible.
“Our website will carry the most up to date information for arrivals and departures and if anyone has any queries they should be directed to the airlines.
“Given the circumstances, our teams on the ground are working to help these additional flights as quickly as possible. We would ask for passengers’ patience as we support each additional flight.”
