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The plane landed at Belfast airport in strong winds like bad weather disrupted the trip across the UK eve Christmas.
Belfast City Airport was forced to implement emergency procedures on Sunday after a plane’s wheel collapsed on landing in adverse weather conditions. There were no reported injuries.
There were four crew members 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.
Follow our blog for the latest Christmas travel updates
The incident led to the runway being closed for the rest of the day, after what the airport said was its busiest day of the year so far on Friday, with several flights diverted to Belfast International Airport on Sunday evening.
It came as weather warnings were in place across the UK, except for eastern parts of England, causing ferries, trains and flights that will be cancelled in a hit for travelers traveling to spend Christmas with their loved ones.
Although Sunday’s high wind warnings have since passed, with 82mph gusts recorded in Orkney and South Uist, The Met Office has issued a new frost warning for parts of north-east Scotland, in effect until 10am on Monday.
Heathrow Airport has confirmed around 100 flights was canceled on Sunday and passengers were advised to check with their airline before travelling, as a spokesman warned of strong winds and airspace restrictions.
Several Loganair flights from Glasgow Airport to the Hebrides were cancelled, while Scotland’s main shipping operator, Caledonian MacBrayne, canceled a number of sailings to and from the Western Isles on Sunday due to extreme weather conditions – and also revised schedules for Monday and Christmas Eve.
P&O Ferries said the scheduled 8pm sailings from Larne in Northern Ireland and Cairnryan in southern Scotland had been delayed until 11pm due to adverse weather conditions.
It comes amid warnings of a “perfect storm” he has created bad weather and traffic jams.
The AA predicted 21.3 million motorists would hit the road on Sunday, while 22.7 million were expected on Saturday, slightly down from 23.7 million on Friday, which was expected to be the busiest day on the roads since the group started in 2010.
A spokesman said: “If the crowds aren’t enough of a headache, the bad weather could create the perfect storm. We advise those leaving to allow extra travel time 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 are expecting sunny spells further east and lots of cloud from the west. Temperatures should rise significantly, and it will be extremely mild during Christmas Eve and Christmas.
“In England and Wales, temperatures will be well above average with some gray in the mix. We expect 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 about double what we usually are.
“Overnight temperatures in Scotland for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be exceptionally mild.”
Additional PA reporting