Image by Michail Savekin.
Belfast City Airport closed around 4pm local time on Sunday December 22, 2024, after an Aer Lingus flight — operated by Emerald Airlines — made a “hard landing” upon arriving at the airport due to “adverse weather conditions”, a spokesperson for the airline confirmed.
“This was a positioning flight with no passengers but four crew members onboard,” Belfast City Airport said on X (Twitter). “The airport's emergency procedures were enacted.”
Emerald Airlines is Aer Lingus' regional operator and uses a fleet of ATR 72-600s. The aircraft was coming in from Edinburgh with the area experiencing high winds at the time of landing. Local media reports stating that the plane's nose wheel collapsed upon landing.
The airport added that the airport would be “closed for the rest of the day” and advised passengers to contact their respective airline.
The UK Government's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said on Monday it has sent a team of inspectors to launch an investigation into the accident. “AAIB inspectors have commenced the on-site investigation to gather evidence and make enquiries,” the statement read.
The airport reopened on Monday, though with a number of routes cancelled in the early hours of the morning. A spokesperson for the airport confirmed that it was operating as normal, and that the aircraft had been moved in the early hours of the day.