Leeds Bradford Airport: Live as airport closed after plane skids off runway while landing during Storm Babet
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Fiona Marr, who went to the airport to watch some of the planes land with her nine-year-old son, said that the plane was visibly affected by the winds and “landed almost sideways” at “about 1.40pm”.
She said that an alarm went off in the airport and fire crews and what appeared to be ambulances went to the incident. She added that there was no smoke coming from the crash but that other flights that were set to take off had to be halted.
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Hide AdA spokesperson for Leeds Bradford Airport, said this afternoon: “We can confirm there are no reported injuries from this incident and that all passengers have now safely disembarked the aircraft.
"The airport is now closed. We are working with the airline, relevant operations teams and emergency authorities to resolve this situation and return services safely as quickly as possible.
"We ask passengers to contact their airline to check the status of their flight before travelling to the airport.”
For the latest updates on this developing story follow our live blog below:
Plane skids off tracks while landing at Leeds Bradford Airport
Key Events
TUI apologises and offers update
A spokesperson for TUI has issued an update on today’s incident, saying:
We would like to apologise to all those impacted by the closure of Leeds Bradford Airport on Friday 20th October following an incident that took place shortly after landing on TOM3551 from Corfu.
The safety of our customers and crew is our number one priority and we can confirm there were no reported injuries, with all passengers disembarking the aircraft via the steps.
All bags have now been removed from the aeroplane and our teams are on hand to support customers with their onward journey, and we will continue to offer any support as required.
TUI customers due to depart on their holiday today will now be taken to Manchester Airport, where an aircraft is ready to take them on holiday as planned. Customers due to travel tomorrow will be contacted directly, with flights still planned to take place.
TUI Airways is now fully assisting the AAIB with their investigation.
Advice issued for customers leaving the airport
Leeds Bradford Airport has issued the below update after announcing that it would close for the day:
Scheduled flights diverted elsewhere
PA has reported that scheduled arrivals for Leeds Bradforrd Airport were diverted to other airports including East Midlands and Newcastle.
Leeds Bradford Airport closed
Leeds Bradford Airport has been closed. A spokesperson said:
We can confirm the airport is now closed. We ask passengers to contact their airline to check the status of their flight before travelling to the airport. There are no reported injuries from today’s incident and all passengers have now safely disembarked the aircraft.
LBA closed - airport confirms
Breaking: Leeds Bradford Airport has just confirmed the airport “is now closed”.
Pictures from the scene
Fiona Marr took the below picture directly after the incident occurred:
Storm Babet weather warnings still in place
A reminder that weather warnings remain in place across Leeds today during Storm Babet.
Follow all weather-related updates via our separate Storm Babet live blog here.
Plane landed ‘almost sideways’
Fiona Marr was at the airport watching flights land with her nine-year-old son when she witnessed the incident.
She said that they watched two flights land - one of which was a “bit bumpy” - before the TUI flight came in at “about 1.40pm”.
She said: “I was like ‘woah, woah, woah’ as the winds kept pushing it up and down.”
She said that the plane “landed almost sideways” and was “not straight at all”.
She said: “Then it stopped and these big alarms started going off in the airport. Fire engines came straight away and 20 minutes later there were what I think were three ambulances. It was hard to see.
“There was no smoke or anything. This Jet2 plane was getting ready to take off and that suddenly stopped.”
Fire crews evacuating passengers
A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said:
We are in attendance at an incident at Leeds Bradford Airport, in conjunction with other emergency services. At this time, there are no reported injuries or fires.
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service command unit has now been stood down, and remaining crews are now assisting in evacuating all persons from the aircraft to the terminal.
‘No reported injuries'
A TUI UK&I spokesperson said:
We are aware of an incident at Leeds Bradford Airport this afternoon, in which upon landing flight TOM3551 slightly veered off while turning into the taxiway.
There are no reported injuries, and our ground team are on hand to support passengers as they disembark
Statement from Leeds Bradford Airport
A spokesperson for Leeds Bradford Airport, said:
“We can confirm TUI flight TOM3551 arriving from Corfu at LBA this afternoon has moved off the runway whilst landing.
“We are working with the airline, relevant operations teams and emergency authorities to address this situation and remove passengers from the aircraft safely.”
What we know so far
A flight has skidded off of the runway while landing at Leeds Bradford Airport this afternoon (Friday).
It’s understood that the adverse weather caused by Storm Babet caused the plane to struggle while landing and that it was “almost sideways”.
One resident said that emergency crews rushed to the scene.