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Plane skids off runway at Leeds Bradford Airport during Storm Babet

The Tui flight was arriving from Corfu when the incident happened.

PA Reporter
Friday 20 October 2023 20:00 BST
Emergency services attended the scene after a passenger plane came off the runway at Leeds Bradford Airport (Danny Lawson/PA)
Emergency services attended the scene after a passenger plane came off the runway at Leeds Bradford Airport (Danny Lawson/PA) (PA Wire)

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A passenger plane has skidded off a runway while landing in windy conditions, leaving Leeds Bradford Airport closed and hundreds of travellers with dashed plans.

The Tui flight was arriving from Corfu during Storm Babet when it came off the runway on Friday afternoon.

Pictures showed emergency services arriving at the scene, with the plane at the side of the runway.

There were no reported injuries.

The airport was closed after the incident, with scheduled arrivals diverted to other airports including East Midlands, Manchester and Newcastle.

An airport spokesperson said: “We can confirm there are no reported injuries from this incident and that all passengers have now safely disembarked the aircraft.

“The airport is now closed.

“We are working with the airline, relevant operations teams and emergency authorities to resolve this situation and return services safely as quickly as possible.

“We ask passengers to contact their airline to check the status of their flight before travelling to the airport.”

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said there was no fire and that crews assisted “in evacuating all persons from the aircraft to the terminal”.

Passengers arriving for flights on Friday evening were faced with departure boards filled with cancelled departures, and queues for taxis and buses in pouring rain.

Customers were also arriving on coaches from other airports, having been diverted.

One group said their flight from Majorca had been diverted to Manchester and they had just arrived at Leeds Bradford on a coach.

“We hoped to be back home and having a cup of tea by 2.30pm,” one of the women said.

“But we’re still here, drenched, waiting for another bus into town.

“It’s not a great end to the week.”

In a statement, Tui said it was helping investigators looking into the incident.

A spokeswoman for the firm said: “We would like to apologise to all those impacted by the closure of Leeds Bradford Airport on Friday following an incident that took place shortly after landing on TOM3551 from Corfu.

“The safety of our customers and crew is our number one priority and we can confirm there were no reported injuries, with all passengers disembarking the aircraft via the steps.

“All bags have now been removed from the aeroplane and our teams are on hand to support customers with their onward journey, and we will continue to offer any support as required.

“Tui customers due to depart on their holiday today will now be taken to Manchester Airport, where an aircraft is ready to take them on holiday as planned. Customers due to travel tomorrow will be contacted directly, with flights still planned to take place.

“Tui Airways is now fully assisting the AAIB (Air Accidents Investigation Branch) with their investigation.”

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