Birmingham Airport has suspended operations after a “suspicious” object was found on an Aer Lingus flight, forcing it to make an emergency landing.
The pilot of the Birmingham-Belfast flight declared an emergency around ten minutes after takeoff as he crossed the Staffordshire-Shropshire border, according to flight trackers.
A bomb squad was sent to the runway, where a live stream showed the ATR72-600 plane parked on the airport perimeter behind a bank of solar panels.
After safely landing in Birmingham, passengers were seen being evacuated from the turboprop, which can accommodate between 72 and 76 travelers.
Aer Lingus regional flight EAG47S, which has declared an emergency, is a routine scheduled flight between Birmingham Airport and Belfast City Airport.
Aer Lingus has now said an “undeclared item” discovered on the flight “did not constitute a security risk”. He adds: “Our teams are currently working to accommodate the passengers affected. »
The photo shows the plane on the tarmac with emergency response vehicles
Buses appear to evacuate passengers from Aer Lingus flight
A bomb squad was sent to the track along with coaches
A commenter on the Airport Action YouTube channel, which streams live footage from the scene, said: “It’s just unreal to be here and see what’s happening” as emergency vehicles sat on the runway from the plane.
The plane reportedly transmitted the code 7700 on its return to Birmingham – which signals an emergency of some kind.
The ATR72-600 forms the backbone of the Irish airline’s fleet, which has an average age of six years. Flight EAG47S landed at 4:20 p.m., according to the airport’s website.
It has now reopened, according to police, who said “the incident is now being treated as a false call with very good intentions.”
A spokesperson for Birmingham Airport confirmed it had “temporarily suspended operations due to an aircraft safety incident”.
He added that the plane in question “landed safely and all passengers and crew disembarked.” Emergency vehicles were photographed on the tarmac.
Several flights scheduled for this evening have been canceled or delayed, the airport’s website indicates.
A Birmingham Airport spokesperson said it had ‘temporarily suspended operations due to an aircraft safety incident’ (file image)
The pilot of the Birmingham-Belfast flight declared an emergency around ten minutes after takeoff as he crossed the Staffordshire-Shropshire border.
But passengers who were expecting to fly were still urged to continue their journey to the airport, with authorities hoping disruptions would be minimal.
“All customers who need to travel should go to the airport and check in as normal,” the spokesperson said.
There was also disruption to trains following the incident, with all lines temporarily blocked between Birmingham New Street and Coventry.
National Rail said lines were now reopened but disruption was expected to continue until 7 p.m.
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