NORWICH — Flight operations at Norwich Airport were brought to an abrupt halt on Friday morning, August 8, after a light aircraft caught fire on the runway during take-off, sparking major travel disruptions.
The incident, which occurred at around 8:30am, involved a small engine fire that prompted the immediate closure of the runway. Airport officials say the runway is expected to reopen by 12:30pm, and passengers have been urged to check with their airlines before travelling.
A spokesperson for Norwich Airport confirmed:
“We can confirm we are dealing with an incident involving a light aircraft which took place at 08:30 this morning. The runway is currently closed and is expected to reopen at 12:30 today. Passengers due to travel are advised to check with their airline for further details.”
Emergency services responded swiftly, but both the East of England Ambulance Service and Norfolk Constabulary were later stood down after confirming that no injuries were reported.
One eyewitness told the Eastern Daily Press:
“We could tell something was wrong. We heard ‘crash! crash!’ over the radios. We went outside to have a look. The propellers on the plane looked bent. It did not look like there was any landing gear down.”
Despite the dramatic scene, on-site emergency crews described the situation as “nothing major.”
The disruption has, however, affected several flights. A KLM service to Amsterdam scheduled for 9:40am was cancelled, while a Loganair flight to Aberdeen was delayed by nearly three hours, now due to depart at 11:30am. On the arrivals board, a KLM flight from Amsterdam scheduled for 9:05am was cancelled, and a TUI flight from Corfu has been delayed by around 15 minutes, now expected at 1:26pm instead of 1:10pm.
The remaining seven scheduled flights are currently expected to operate without further delays.
Friday’s incident comes just weeks after Birmingham Airport experienced a similar disruption following an emergency landing, which led to widespread delays and cancellations.
Comments