Thousands of passengers faced disruption on Wednesday after Birmingham Airport closed its runway following an emergency landing by a small aircraft. The Beechcraft B200 Super King Air, operated by Woodgate Aviation, made the landing at about 1.40pm due to landing gear problems, according to the company. Three people on board were treated at the scene, with one suffering minor injuries.
At least 25 departures to European destinations were cancelled, while incoming flights were diverted to Manchester and East Midlands airports. The runway reopened shortly before 8pm, and flights resumed. The airport apologised for the disruption and advised passengers to check with their airlines for updates.
Passengers described their experiences. Gunnar Lauridsen, 76, from Denmark, feared missing his connecting flight to Billund. Camile Monteleone, 30, was stuck waiting for information about her Ryanair flight to Barcelona. Faye Melhuish, 38, returning from Spain with her six-month-old daughter, had her flight diverted to East Midlands.
The Air Accidents Investigations Branch has launched an investigation, deploying a multi-disciplinary team to the airport. West Midlands police confirmed the Civil Aviation Authority had been informed. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander described the disruption as minimal but acknowledged passengers' frustration.
