‘Interesting Landing’: UK Airport Closed as Plane Slides Off Runway During Storm - Photo
© AP Photo / Ted S. Warren
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The incident occurred as a storm brings harrowing wind and rain across Europe.
A plane skidded off the runway at Leeds Bradford Airport in the UK on Friday, causing the airport to shut down for the day.
The incident occurred during the afternoon as the flight landed in the central UK city, with rain from Storm Babet creating hazardous conditions on the runway. The plane came to a stop in a grassy area off the tarmac, with no one injured during the incident.
“All passengers have now safely disembarked the aircraft,” said a spokesperson for the airport. “We are working with the airline, relevant operations teams and emergency authorities to resolve this situation and return services safely as quickly as possible.”
TUI Airways 737 from Corfu overruns the runway at Leeds Bradford Airport in the UK. Emergency equipment is with the aircraft. Flight operations are currently suspended.
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) October 20, 2023
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The airport is redirecting people scheduled to fly out of Leeds on Friday to nearby Manchester Airport. Leeds Bradford Airport is scheduled to resume operations on Saturday.
“TUI Airways is now fully assisting the AAIB [Air Accidents Investigation Branch] with their investigation,” read a statement from the airline involved in the incident.
In the #UK 🇬🇧 #Leeds-#Bradford airport has suspended flights after a #TUI Airways 737 from #Corfu skidded off the runway #StormBabet pic.twitter.com/qGcKwQbHd4
— 𝙰𝚒 𝙽𝚎𝚠𝚜 𝚁𝚎𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝 (@AiNewsRep) October 20, 2023
Witnesses and passengers sounded off on the event on social media, with one wryly posting, “Interesting landing,” and saying they were “going to be here for a while.” Another noted the aircraft’s “bumpy hard landing.”
“We hoped to be back home and having a cup of tea by 2.30pm,” posted a passenger who had been delayed by the incident. “But we're still here, drenched, waiting for another bus into town… It's not a great end to the week.”
