Plane emergency at Manchester airport as smoke seen billowing from jet engines in front of stunned holidaymakers

HOLIDAYMAKERS were left stunned after spotting smoke billowing from a plane on the runway at Manchester Airport.

Fire crews raced to the scene at around 4.30pm shortly after the Tui commissioned flight landed.

Eyewitnesses said firefighters doused the right engine of the hired aircraft after it reportedly overheated.

One told : "Suddenly just a load of fire engines appeared and started spraying it down with water while we were having a drink at the bar.

"All this smoke started coming out.

"It looked like one of the engines had overheated."

Cabin staff are believed to have extinguished the fire before emergency services arrived.

A spokesperson for TUI said: "We can confirm flight TOM2609 Mahon to Manchester airport experienced a technical fault on arrival to the stand and was met by the fire service.

"The safety of our passengers and crew was not compromised and always remains our highest priority.

";The aircraft was completely safe to land, and all passengers have been disembarked.

"Any customers who may experience a delay due to this will be contacted to advise them of any changes.

"We understand how unsettling it can be when an aircraft is met by emergency services so we will continue to offer our full support.

"We’d like to apologise to all customers for the inconvenience and thank them for their patience and understanding at this time."

No delays were reported, although planes were spotted circling above the runway.