Norwich Airport was forced to shut down on Sunday due to an emergency that saw a plane’s “undercarriage collapse” on landing. This led to the cancellation of a series of flights, with passengers told to check with their airlines to see when they would next be able to travel.
Emergency services, including fire and ambulance teams, were dispatched urgently to the site after a light aircraft carrying two people was reported to have encountered a critical incident. The airport’s website indicated that the runway was projected to remain closed until 5pm on Sunday night.
Sharing details of the incident, a spokesperson for Norwich Airport said: “At 1.48pm today, a light aircraft with two people on board diverted to Norwich Airport with a reported undercarriage issue.
“Upon landing the undercarriage collapsed. Fire and ambulance services attended and the two people were removed from the aircraft without injury.”
Before the incident, the light aircraft carrying two people reported a mechanical issue mid-flight and was diverted to Norwich Airport. Fire crews from across the area responded to the potential crash, with six crews sent to the scene.
Due to the shutdown, there have been several flight disruptions, affecting routes especially between Norwich and Amsterdam.
Additionally, a TUI flight arriving from Tenerife had to be rerouted to Stansted, BirminghamLive has reported. Any diverted travellers were transported back to Norwich via coach.
Passengers scheduled to fly were instructed by the airport representative to reach out to their respective airlines for updated flight information.
A spokesperson for the East of England Ambulance Service said: “One ambulance and a paramedic car were sent to Norwich Airport this afternoon following reports of a light aircraft in difficulty.
“Two persons were assessed at the scene, but no ambulance transport was required.”
