Birmingham Airport runway shut after 'aircraft incident'

Birmingham Airport's runway will remain shut until at least 8pm on Wednesday after a small plane made an emergency landing.

Three people from the aircraft, which was carrying two crew members and a passenger, were treated at the scene, with one suffering minor injuries from the incident, which happened at roughly 1.40pm on Wednesday, West Midlands Police said.

Other emergency services, including fire and ambulance, attended the scene at the airport's runway.

Operations are "expected to remain suspended until at least 8pm", the airport said on X shortly before 6pm.

The number of flights affected and passengers whose journeys have been disrupted has not been confirmed, but at least 11 flights listed on the departures page of the airport's website to destinations across Europe have been cancelled.

Others said delays were expected until around 7pm.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said there was "minimal" disruption at the airport but she understood "how frustrating" the situation was for passengers.

Travellers have been told to check the status of their flight before coming to the airport, with both check-in and security also temporarily shut.

Birmingham Airport first shared that its runway was temporarily closed following the incident at around 2.40pm.

In a post on the Birmingham Airport Police X account, the force said: "We are at Birmingham Airport this afternoon after a small aircraft was involved in an emergency landing at around 1.40pm.

"Officers are among the emergency crews at the scene and one person has been reported to have minor injuries.

"The Civil Aviation Authority has been informed and the airport has suspended operations as an investigation is carried out."

The airport said in a statement: "Following an aircraft incident, the runway is temporarily closed.

"We apologise for the inconvenience this will cause.

"We will keep passengers already at the airport informed, and those due to travel later today are advised to check the status of their flight before coming to the airport.

West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) said it sent Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) paramedics and three paramedic officers, who assessed and discharged three patients from the aircraft.

West Midlands Fire Service said on X two of its crews "stood by to support airport firefighters" and one remained on scene.

Pictures posted online showed a white twin-propeller aircraft lying flat on the runway tarmac.

Woodgate Aviation said in a statement that one of its Beechcraft fixed-wing aircraft was involved in an emergency landing at Birmingham Airport on Wednesday.

"The turbo-prop aircraft was on a flight to Belfast International Airport when it developed landing gear problems. The aircraft returned to Birmingham and made an emergency landing and the main undercarriage collapsed on touchdown.

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"Two crew members and a passenger were on board but were uninjured.

"The aircraft remains on the runway and Woodgate Aviation will be co-operating fully with air accident investigators and airport services.

"We would like to pay tribute to the professionalism of our colleagues and the emergency services at the airport for their prompt action."

The Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB) said it had started an investigation into the incident.

Consumer group the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) offered stranded passengers a free pint if they showed their boarding pass at the Great British Beer Festival, which was taking place in the nearby National Exhibition Centre.

Birmingham Airport is the seventh-largest airport in the UK and the third largest outside London, handling approximately 11.5 million passengers in 2023, according to its website.

Home to around 30 airlines, it offers over 130 direct routes and over 450 one-stop destinations.

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