Birmingham Airport flights resume after more than six hours

FLIGHTS have resumed at Birmingham Airport after more than six hours of disruption.

The runway was closed after a light aircraft made an emergency landing at 1.40pm on Wednesday afternoon (August 6).

Birmingham Airport confirmed just before 8pm that the runway had reopened and that flights had resumed. 

A spokesperson said: "Following the incident today, the runway has reopened and operations have resumed.

"All passengers must check flight details with their airlines and follow advice issued to them.

"We understand the frustration this has caused.

"Our teams have worked as quickly as possible, in line with strict protocols, which must be followed to ensure a safe reopening of the runway following a prolonged closure."

The closure led to a number of flights being cancelled and severe delays for many passengers.

Emergency services were called to the scene, where three people from the small plane were treated and discharged on the scene.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said in a statement: “We were called at 1.45pm to an incident involving a light aircraft at Birmingham Airport.

“Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) paramedics and three paramedic officers were sent to the scene.

“Upon arrival we found three patients from the aircraft, all of whom were assessed and discharged at the scene.”

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) confirmed it had sent inspectors to the airport to carry out an investigation.

A spokesperson said: "The AAIB has started an investigation into an incident at Birmingham Airport, which occurred on August 6.

"A multi-disciplinary team including inspectors with expertise in aircraft operations, engineering and recorded data have been deployed to the airport."