Emergency services rushed to Belfast City Airport this evening after a plane crash landed on the runway having flown through the high-speed winds which continue to batter Britain.
The airport has been forced to close for the rest of the day after an Aer Lingus plane suffered an emergency incident while performing a ‘hard’ landing during the stormy weather.
It is understood the plane’s nose gear collapsed as it landed, with pictures showing the aircraft on the side of a runway with three fire engines positioned nearby.Â
Police, fire service and ambulance crews were immediately deployed to the scene after the airport declared a ‘full emergency’.
As a result, all flights in and out of the airport have been cancelled tonight as the runway is not expected to reopen until Monday.
A number of flights have also been diverted to Belfast International Airport, including a British Airways flight from London City and an Aer Lingus flight from Leeds Bradford.
The plane was a ‘positioning flight’ operated by Emerald Airlines on behalf of Aer Lingus and had flown from Edinburgh to Belfast at about 4pm.Â
A spokesperson for Belfast City Airport said there were four crew members and no passengers on board the aircraft when the incident happened. No-one was believed to have been seriously hurt.
Belfast City Airport’s also had to close their runway this afternoon after an Aer Lingus plane suffered an emergency incident while landing during strong winds
Warnings have been put in place for today with much of the UK covered in a yellow alert signifying ‘a prolonged period of strong winds’
The plane, which was being repositioned to the airport, saw its nose wheel collapse during the landing, as pictures showed its nose resting on the runway tarmac
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It comes as around 100 flights were cancelled at Heathrow Airport yesterday after the Met Office covered the UK in a yellow alert signifying ‘a prolonged period of strong winds’. Â
An Emerald Airlines spokesperson said: ‘An Emerald Airlines positioning flight, EA701P, with no passengers on board, flying from Edinburgh to Belfast City Airport experienced a hard landing upon arriving into Belfast City Airport due to adverse weather conditions.’Â
A spokesperson for Belfast City Airport said:Â ‘At around 4pm today, Sunday 22 December, an Aer Lingus regional flight, operated by Emerald Airlines, had an incident on landing at Belfast City Airport.Â
‘This was a positioning fight with no passengers but four 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.’Â
Fire Service Area Commander David Doherty said several units were sent to the scene as part of their expected response to an airport emergency.Â
But the firefighters did not have to take any immediate action, he added.
Their resources were quickly redeployed but some crews have remained at the scene as a precaution.Â
Millions of travellers have faced disruption during the busiest weekend of the year, as the 82mph winds wreaked havoc on the UK’s roads, ferries and rail services.
Pictures showed the aircraft on the side of a runway with three fire engines positioned nearby
Hundreds of passengers are facing Christmas travel chaos as 90 flights from Heathrow Airport are cancelled and 200 more delayed amid weather warnings for strong wind
A Heathrow spokesperson said ‘a small number of flights’ have been cancelled on Saturday due to ‘strong winds and airspace restrictions’
The Met Office said yellow warnings for wind, which came into force at 7am on Saturday, are expected to remain in place until 9pm on Sunday.Â
London Heathrow made the decision to call off the flights while P&O Ferries said journeys between Larne in Northern Ireland and Cairnryan in southern Scotland were cancelled until at least 8pm on Sunday.
Several Loganair flights from Glasgow Airport to the Hebridean islands have been cancelled, and 18 CalMac ferry routes have also been axed.
Rail operator ScotRail said speed restrictions are in place for part of the route between Glasgow and Oban/Mallaig, and the Inverness service to Kyle/Wick.
The AA predicted 21.3 million drivers will hit the road on Sunday, while 22.7 million had been expected on Saturday, slightly fewer than the 23.7 million on Friday which was expected to be the busiest day on the roads since the group’s records began in 2010.
This heavy traffic combined with the bad weather created a ‘perfect storm’ on the transport network ahead of Christmas.Â
A spokesperson said: ‘If the congestion wasn’t enough of a headache, the inclement weather could create the perfect storm.
‘We advise those heading out to allow extra time to travel and increase the distance between themselves and other road users.’
Millions of travellers have faced disruption the during the busiest weekend of the year, with widespread problems impacting the roads, ferries and rail services
Queues on the A102 Blackwall Tunnel approach in Greenwich South East London as the Christmas getaway begins
Of the Heathrow cancellations, eighty are on British Airways and involve short-haul domestic and European flights.
Three round-trips to Amsterdam and Glasgow have also been grounded.
Other airlines affected are Aer Lingus; Dublin Eurowings; Cologne Iberia; Madrid KLM; Amsterdam Lufthansa; Frankfurt (two round-trips) SAS; Oslo Swiss; Zurich TAP; Lisbon Turkish Airlines; Istanbul Virgin Atlantic: Miami.
A British Airways spokesman said: ‘Due to adverse weather this weekend, restrictions have been put on the number of flights able to take off and land at Heathrow and therefore we’ve had to make a small number of cancellations.
‘We’re offering free flight changes for those customers booked on short-haul services who don’t wish to travel this weekend, and we will be offering rebooking and refund options as always to those whose journeys are disrupted as a result of the restrictions.
‘While the vast majority of our customers will travel as planned, our teams are working hard to help those who have been affected get their travel plans back on track at this important time of year.’Â
Stefan Donnelly, 35, had travelled from London to Scotland where he discovered his ferry from Cairnryan to Larne had been cancelled.
Mr Donnelly had planned to travel at 8pm on Saturday but has managed to rebook onto the 8pm sailing on Sunday.
Passengers at London Euston station awaiting to leave London on Saturday morning
Long delays at the Port of Dover saw holidaymakers in long queues as they tried to board the ferry for the Christmas getawayÂ
Showers could turn to several centimetres of snow on the hills in the north west of Scotland from Saturday evening into Sunday, the Met Office warned. Picture: People in the snow in Edinburgh, Scotland
The marketing manager, who is travelling home to Northern Ireland for Christmas, said communication from P&O Ferries had been poor as he only discovered his sailing had been cancelled from social media.
‘I was on my way to Cairnryan yesterday and happened to check Twitter to discover my ferry was cancelled,’ Mr Donnelly said.
‘I stopped in Ayr and booked a night in a hotel there.
‘There wasn’t any communication from P&O, I didn’t get an email or a text message or anything.
‘I was on the phone for about an hour-and-a-half this morning but I eventually got through to someone.
‘They were saying on the Twitter side that the 8pm ferry I’m getting today was full but then they weren’t actually, and I’m traveling as a foot passenger, which makes it easier for (P&O).’Â
So far this weekend, the strongest wind speed has been recorded at 82mph in Kirkwall on Orkney and the South Uist Range.
Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud said: ‘There will continue to be more challenging travel conditions, with coastal areas seeing around 50 to 60mph winds.
The strong winds will be more widespread on Sunday, meteorologists saidÂ
‘Dangerous coastal conditions can be expected too, with large waves an additional hazard, especially in respect to causeways’ the Met Office warned. Strong winds and rain in West Bay, Dorset
‘Extremely exposed coastal areas could see up to 70 or 75mph and parts of the west are expected to see 40 or 50mph.Â
‘In the evening we are expecting these to ease and gradually drop off.
‘My advice for people travelling today and tonight is to take it easy, particularly in the north and east. The main concern is that there’s the potential for icy patches in some areas.’Â
A yellow warning corresponds to a ‘medium likelihood and a low impact’.Â
Sleet, snow and hail has already fallen across large swathes of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland today – as well as heavy rainfall.
The delays and cancellations at Heathrow come after the airport had said earlier this week that it was bracing for the busiest Christmas period in history.Â
The airport said it was expecting the number of passengers travelling through its terminals on December 25 to be 21 per cent higher than on the same day a year ago. Â
Heathrow also predicted that the number of passengers for December will exceed the previous record of 6.7 million last year.Â
But air plane passengers are not the only ones bracing themselves for mayhem.
Long delays at the Port of Dover saw holidaymakers in long queues as they tried to board the ferry for the Christmas getaway.Â
Meanwhile, passengers waited at St Pancras International station to get the Eurostar while others waited to board trains at Kings Cross Station for the festive season.