A Tui flight has landed on a burst tyre at East Midlands airport causing a series of delays and diversions as the aircraft was unable to be immediately moved.
Flight BY7113 departed from Birmingham airport on Monday but was diverted mid-air after the punctured tyre was identified.
The plane landed at the Leicestershire terminal. All passengers were evacuated, but the aircraft continued to block the runway.
Flights at East Midlands were temporarily prevented from taking off as a consequence of the incident, with some being diverted to nearby Birmingham airport.
A spokesperson for East Midlands airport told The Independent: “We accepted a diverted TUI aircraft this afternoon that was due to land at Birmingham Airport, after it declared an emergency with a punctured tyre.
“It landed safely and several procedures were carried out to ensure the safety of all passengers on board before they were disembarked and taken to Birmingham Airport by coach.
“Our runway is now fully operational but the incident prevented other aircraft from taking off or landing on our runway for around two hours. This led to seven inbound flight diversions and five outbound delays.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused and continue to advise passengers to contact their airline for the latest updates.”
A statement published to social media by East Midlands airport at 2.28pm noted that it had accepted the diverted Tui aircraft from Birmingham Airport.
Unhappy East Midlands passengers wrote of their frustration at the delay and lack of communication on X.
“Currently sat on a plane in your airport waiting to take off,” wrote one.
“This issue was identified before I boarded. Why have I been sat here for an hour?!”
“Any chance you could announce this in the airport?” wrote another. “Bizarre I have to find this out hunting on Twitter when my flight is affected.”
In a second social media post shared at 3.58pm, East Midlands said: “Following an earlier aircraft incident, our runway is now fully operational.
“We advise checking with your airline for up-to-date information concerning your flight.”
However, one social media user commented at 4.57pm: “My gf [girlfriend] had landed at East Midlands and is just waiting on the tarmac waiting to be let in to arrivals. Apparently no security staff there. What’s going on?”
