Birmingham International Airport, one of the UK’s busiest, has reopened after being closed for over five hours due to an ‘aircraft incident’.
The runway was forced to shut down following a crash-landing by a Beech B2000 Super King G-NIAA, which was en route to Belfast.
Aviation experts have revealed that the aircraft transmitted emergency code 7700 before making the abrupt landing.
The pilots were compelled to execute this swift manoeuvre shortly after take-off upon realising their landing gear was malfunctioning.
West Midlands Police confirmed the incident took place around 1.40pm, with emergency services from West Midlands Ambulance Service and West Midlands Fire Service attending the scene, reports Stoke on Trent Live.
Three individuals aboard the small aircraft, comprising two crew members and one passenger, received treatment on the runway.
Only one person is reported to have sustained minor injuries from the mishap.
Meanwhile, passengers experienced significant delays as numerous flights were either postponed, rerouted or cancelled.
Birmingham Airport has extended its apologies for the inconvenience caused.
In a statement shared on social media, a spokesperson for Birmingham Airport announced: “Following the aircraft incident today, the runway has reopened and operations have resumed.
“All passengers must check flight details with their airlines and follow the advice issued by them. We understand the frustration and apologise for the disruption this has caused.
“Our teams have worked as quickly as possible, in line with strict protocols, which must be followed to ensure a safe reopening of the runway following a prolonged closure.”
Woodcraft Aviation – who own the Beechcraft fixed-wing aircraft involved in today’s incident – addressed the situation in a statement shared with Sky News.
“The turbo-prop aircraft was on a flight to Belfast International Airport when it developed landing gear problems,” a spokesperson explained. “The aircraft returned to Birmingham and made an emergency landing and the main undercarriage collapsed on touchdown.
“Two crew members and a passenger were on board but were uninjured. The aircraft remains on the runway and Woodgate Aviation will be co-operating fully with air accident investigators and airport services.
“We would like to pay tribute to the professionalism of our colleagues and the emergency services at the airport for their prompt action.”
The Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB) say they have launched an investigation into today’s incident.