Leeds Bradford Airport plane recovery continues ahead of reopening

Leeds Bradford Airport plane recovery continues ahead of reopening
News Desk

By News Desk


Published: 21/10/2023

Work to recover a passenger plane that skidded off a runway during Storm Babet is continuing ahead of the airport's reopening.

A TUI flight from Corfu "moved off the runway whilst landing" at Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) on Friday afternoon, the airport said.

All passengers were safely evacuated and the airport was closed.

An airport spokesman said recovery work was "ongoing", with the site estimated to reopen at about 14:00 BST.

"We are working hard to reopen at 14:00 today [Saturday], please do not travel to the terminal before this time," LBA said.

"We will continue to post regular updates as this is subject to change."

All passengers due to fly should check with their airlines before travelling, the airport advised.

TUI customers who were due to travel from Leeds Bradford Airport on Saturday were directed to Manchester Airport.

A TUI UK&I spokesperson said: "We would like to apologise to all those impacted by the ongoing closure of Leeds Bradford Airport following an incident that took place shortly after landing on TOM3551 on Friday 19th October.

"The safety of our customers and crew is our number one priority and can confirm there were no reported injuries, with all passengers disembarking the aircraft via the steps.

"TUI customers due to travel on their holiday today will depart from Manchester Airport and have been contacted directly by our customer service team."

The operator said it was assisting the Air Accidents Investigation Branch with its investigation.

Storm Babet continued to batter parts of the UK on Saturday, with high winds, torrential rain and severe flooding.

Passengers arriving for flights from Leeds Bradford Airport on Friday evening were faced with departure boards filled with cancelled departures, and queues for taxis and buses in pouring rain.

Customers were also arriving on coaches from other airports, having been diverted.

One group said their flight from Majorca had been diverted to Manchester and they had just arrived at Leeds Bradford on a coach.

"We hoped to be back home and having a cup of tea by 2.30pm," one of the women said.

"But we're still here, drenched, waiting for another bus into town.

"It's not a great end to the week."

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