Birmingham Airport is currently holding all flights after an aircraft made an emergency landing, police say. One person was injured in the incident, which has temporarily paused arrivals and departures from the UK’s seventh-biggest airport. The runway is expected to remain closed until at least 8pm today, August 6, with passengers urged to check with their airline before travelling.
In a statement, Birmingham Airport Police said: “We are at Birmingham Airport this afternoon after a small aircraft was involved in an emergency landing at around 1.40pm. Officers are among the emergency crews at the scene and one person has been reported to have minor injuries.
“The Civil Aviation Authority has been informed and the airport has suspended operations as an investigation is carried out.”
A spokesperson for the airport added: “Following an aircraft incident, the runway is temporarily closed. We apologise for the inconvenience this will cause.
“We will keep passengers already at the airport informed, and those due to travel later today are advised to check the status of their flight before coming to the airport. We will continue to issue updates when we can.”
Pictures from the scene showed emergency vehicles surrounding a light aircraft which appeared to have no landing gear deployed.
Reports suggest the aircraft, which appears to be a Beech King Air, was en-route to Belfast when it declared an in-flight emergency and diverted to Birmingham.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said: “We were called at 1.45pm to an incident involving a light aircraft at Birmingham Airport.
“Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) paramedics and three paramedic officers were sent to the scene. Upon arrival we found three patients from the aircraft, all of whom were assessed and discharged at the scene.”
Birmingham Airport caters for around 30 airlines, offering more than 130 direct routes and 450 one-stop travel destinations.