Belfast City Airport’s runway is to remain closed for the remainder of Sunday night after an aircraft was involved in an emergency incident during a landing.
It is understood that an Aer Lingus regional flight run by Emerald Airlines was involved in an incident on landing and suffered a collapsed nose wheel.
The airport said the incident happened at about 4pm on Sunday, no passengers were on board but there were four crew members on the flight from Edinburgh. No serious injuries were reported on the twin-engined turboprop short-haul craft.
Several flights have been redirected to Belfast International Airport.
In a statement, Belfast City Airport said its “emergency procedures had been enacted. “This was a positioning fight with no passengers but four crew members [were] 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 Emerald Airlines said: “An Emerald Airlines positioning flight, EA701P, with no passengers on board, flying from Edinburgh to Belfast City Airport, December 22nd, 2024, experienced a hard landing upon arriving into Belfast City Airport due to adverse weather conditions.”
A spokesperson for Belfast International Airport said: “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.” – Additional reporting: PA