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A plane crash-landed in high winds at a Belfast airport as poor weather disrupted travel across the UK in the run-up to Christmas.
Belfast City Airport was forced to enact emergency procedures on Sunday after a plane’s nose wheel collapsed upon landing in adverse weather conditions. There were no reported injuries.
There were four crew and no passengers on board the Emerald Airlines flight when the hard landing occurred at around 4pm on Sunday afternoon, as winds of up to 82mph battered parts of the UK.
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The incident caused the runway to be closed for the rest of the day, after what the airport said had been the busiest day of the year so far on Friday, and several flights were diverted to Belfast International Airport on Sunday evening.
It came as weather warnings were in force across the UK, save for eastern parts of England, causing ferries, trains and flights to be cancelled in a blow to passengers travelling to spend Christmas with their loved ones.
While Sunday’s alerts for strong winds have since passed, with gusts of 82mph recorded in Orkney and on South Uist, the Met Office has issued a new warning for ice in parts of northeast Scotland, which are in force until 10am on Monday.
Heathrow Airport confirmed around 100 flights had been cancelled on Sunday and passengers were advised to check with their airline before travelling, as a spokesperson warned of strong winds and airspace restrictions.
Several Loganair flights from Glasgow Airport to the Hebridean islands were cancelled, while Scotland’s main ferry operator, Caledonian MacBrayne, cancelled numerous sailings to and from the Western Isles on Sunday due to extreme weather – and has also revised schedules for Monday and Christmas Eve.
P&O Ferries said 8pm-scheduled journeys from Larne in Northern Ireland and Cairnryan in southern Scotland have been delayed until 11pm due to adverse weather conditions.
It comes amid warnings of a “perfect storm” created by bad weather and congestion on the roads.
The AA predicted 21.3 million drivers would hit the road on Sunday, while 22.7 million had been expected on Saturday, slightly fewer than the 23.7 million on Friday which was expected to be the busiest day on the roads since the group’s records began in 2010.
A spokesperson said: “If the congestion wasn’t enough of a headache, the inclement weather could create the perfect storm. We advise those heading out to allow extra time to travel and increase the distance between themselves and other road users.”
Looking ahead to next week, conditions are expected to improve and the UK could see a “grey Christmas”, rather than a white one.
Met Office forecaster Dan Stroud said: “We’re expecting to see some sunny spells further east and a lot of cloud from the west. Temperatures should rise considerably and it will be extremely mild over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
“In England and Wales, temperatures will be well above average with some grey in the mix. We’re expecting an average of around 12C or 13C on Christmas Eve and 11C or 12C on Christmas Day. The usual average for this time of year is 7C or 8C so we’ll be around double where we usually are.
“Overnight temperatures in Scotland for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be extremely mild.”
Additional reporting by PA