A UK airport was forced to close earlier today after reports of a suspicious package on board a plane.
The Aer Lingus flight EAG47S was heading to Belfast from Birmingham when it was forced to return to its starting point. The airport was officially closed down "until further notice."
Experts at SPD Travels said: "Birmingham Airport is currently closed to aircraft movements due to a suspicious device found on an Aer Lingus flight to Belfast that returned to BHX. Currently Ryanair has diverted to Manchester, an Aer Lingus in the hold and other flights en route."
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Plane enthusiasts Airport Action were on-site streaming live on YouTube at the time and captured footage of the incident as it unfolded. Several emergency service vehicles were seen on one part of the airport, but the plane in question was not in view.
A Birmingham Airport spokesperson said at the time: “Birmingham Airport has temporarily suspended operations due to a security incident on an aircraft. The aircraft landed safely and all passengers and crew have disembarked. All customers due to travel should make their way to the airport and check in as normal.”
They later confirmed that the airport resumed normal services from 6pm.
An Aer Lingus spokesperson said: "We can confirm that an undeclared item discovered on Aer Lingus Regional flight EI3647, operated by Emerald Airlines, from Birmingham to Belfast today was not a security risk. Our teams are currently working to accommodate impacted passengers."
West Midlands Police said: "We are currently at Birmingham Airport following a report of a suspicious item found on a flight destined for Belfast. The plane was diverted shortly after take-off and landed back at Birmingham airport just after 4pm.
"All passengers and crew have been evacuated safely and specialist officers including the dog unit have now searched the plane. The incident is now being dealt as a false call with very good intent and the item is not suspicious."
The plane Aer Lingus uses for the route is an ATR 82-600, which seats around 70-80 passengers and crew, and costs around £20million to build. The flight path of the Aer Lingus flight shows that it only got as far as Market Drayon near Stoke-on-Trent before it was forced to turn back.
Passengers were seen exiting the plane on a secure part of the runway with buses brought in to take them back to the terminal, as emergency services dealt with the incident. Bomb squad vehicles were seen on-site, while at least four police cars were also spotted.
Firearms police were also seen during the live stream of the chaotic situation.
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