An aircraft which crash-landed at a UK airport just before Christmas is to undergo further examination work, investigators have revealed.
The ATR 72 plane, operated by Emerald Airlines for Aer Lingus, suffered an emergency incident at around 4pm on Sunday, December 22, as it attempted to land in ‘adverse weather conditions’.
It appeared that the aircraft’s nose wheel collapsed as it landed. The plane remained on the runway while emergency crews dealt with the crash, BelfastLive reports.
Four crew and no passengers were on board at the time, and there were no reported injuries in the incident.
The Aer Lingus aircraft remains at Belfast City Airport
(Image: Jacob Bushe)
The incident led to the cancellation or diversion off all flights in and out of Belfast City Airport for the remainder of the day, including flights to and from Manchester Airport.
According to the Manchester Airport departures page at the time, the 4.10pm flight to Belfast City and the 7.40pm flight were both cancelled.
Flights from Belfast City to Manchester were also cancelled on Sunday, including those at 2.25pm, 3.50pm and 6pm. The runway reopened the following day.
The aircraft involved currently remains in the grounds of City Airport and it is unclear when it will be able to resume service.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said: “The aircraft has not been moved because it is due to undergo further examination work as part of the ongoing investigation.”
It is understood that investigations of this nature by the AAIB could take between nine to 12 months to complete.
The spokeswoman added: “Our investigation into the accident on December 22 is still ongoing and it is too early to provide an update.”
And a spokesperson for Emerald Airlines, exclusive operator of Aer Lingus Regional services, added: “An Emerald Airlines positioning flight, EA701P, with no passengers on board, flying from Edinburgh to Belfast City Airport, 22nd December 2024, experienced a hard landing upon arriving into Belfast City Airport due to adverse weather conditions. Due to ongoing reviews, we will not be providing further comment at this time.”