Holiday flight makes emergency landing at international airport

A passenger plane with 175 passengers on board has made an emergency landing at Belfast International Airport after developing technical problems while taking off.

The flight, an Airbus A320 Thomas Cook service to Tenerife, reported difficulties with its undercarriage shortly after taking off about 10am on Tuesday morning.

The plane circled over the area, burning up fuel, for about an hour and a half before returning safely to the airport.

Emergency crews were on standby throughout the incident and one Star reader reported seeing fire crews from Lisburn heading towards the airport.

No injuries have been reported.

Ambulance and Fire and Rescue Service crews were on standby at the airport while it circled the runway waiting for clearance to land.

A passenger who was on the plane told BBC Radio Ulster: “The crew came round and told us all about bracing ourselves, taking our shoes off, using the emergency exits and leaving our luggage behind.

“We flew round and round and round for more than an hour. A police helicopter came up and inspected the exterior of the plane. We were all in tears but we landed safely is all I can say - thankfully.”

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