Emergency services rush to Irish airport after Emerald Airlines’ landing gear collapses on hard touch down due to winds
EMERGENCY services rushed to Belfast City Airport today after an Emerald Airlines plane suffered a landing gear collapse on touch down.
It is understood the nose gear collapsed after a hard landing at George Best Airport amid strong winds.
The landing gear is used during take-off, landing or taxiing and is the main support of an aeroplane with the nose gear supporting the front of the plane.
The incident occurred at around 4pm when Emerald Airlines aircraft touched down from Edinburgh.
The hard landing left the turboprop plane collapsed on the side of a runway.
Emergency services remain at the scene and the runway will stay closed for the rest of the day with delays expect at the airport as a result.
Emerald Airlines, which commenced operations in 2022, runs Aer Lingus’ regional routes.
A spokesperson from company confirmed there were no passengers on board at the time of the incident.
However, four crew members were onboard at the time.
The spokesperson said: "An Emerald Airlines positioning flight, EA701P, with no passengers on board, flying from Edinburgh to Belfast City Airport, 22nd December 2024, experienced a hard landing upon arriving into Belfast City Airport due to adverse weather conditions."
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A spokesperson for Belfast City Airport urged passengers to make contact with their airline.
They said: "At around 16:00 today, Sunday 22 December, 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 4 crew members onboard. 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 number of flights have been diverted to Belfast International Airport as a result of the incident.
These include a British Airways flight from London City and an Aer Lingus flight from Leeds Bradford.
STRUGGLE TO HELP
A spokesperson from Belfast International Airport said it has taken four diverted flights but will struggle to take more.
"As we have 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 but we will continue to support where possible," they said.
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"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."
