Emergency incident on plane after hard landing

A plane's nose wheel collapsed during a hard landing in Belfast due to bad weather.

There were four crew members but no passengers on board when the Aer Lingus regional flight, operated by Emerald Airlines, landed at around 4pm on Sunday.

Belfast City Airport closed its runway for the rest of the day following the incident, which triggered emergency procedures.

Some flights have been redirected to Belfast International Airport.

The airline said the "positioning flight", to relocate an aircraft rather than carry passengers, took off from Edinburgh Airport.

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The plane "experienced a hard landing" due to "adverse weather conditions", which have been disrupting travel across the UK, according to Emerald Airlines.

Flights, trains and ferries have been affected by stormy weather and gusts of around 70mph.

Around 100 flights from Heathrow Airport were cancelled on Sunday due to "strong winds and airspace restrictions" although the "vast majority" would operate as normal, a spokesperson said.

Belfast City Airport said: "At around 4pm, an Aer Lingus regional flight, operated by Emerald Airlines, had an incident on landing at Belfast City Airport.

"This was a positioning flight with no passengers but four crew members on board.

"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."

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said crews were called after an aircraft's nose wheel collapsed on landing.

"We had 24 personnel in total in attendance and assisted Belfast City Airport Fire Service to make the scene safe. NIFRS have now left the scene," a post on X said.

Belfast International Airport said four flights had been redirected there due to the closed runway at city aiport.

"As we already had 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, however we will continue to support where possible," a spokesperson said.

"Our website will carry the most up-to-date information for arrivals and departures and if anyone has any queries they should be directed to the airlines.

“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."