A crowded passenger aircraft was last night forced to make an emergency landing at Belfast International Airport after smoke entered the cockpit. The turbo-prop plane owned by the BA subsidiary, British Regional Airlines, took off from Belfast City Airport at 5.50 p.m. bound for Manchester. But within minutes smoke began entering the cockpit forcing the aircraft, carrying 57 passengers and four crew, to turn round.
It landed at Belfast International Airport at about 6.15 p.m. where ambulance crews and fire-fighters were waiting.
A BA spokeswoman said flight 7608 was turned back as a precautionary measure.
"The crew became aware of a technical problem and decided it was best to return to Belfast," she said. "The emergency services were waiting but they were not needed. The passengers all disembarked in the normal way. We are glad to say no one was hurt."