A flight from Italy to Ireland was forced to divert to Shannon Airport this morning after the crew reported a mechanical issue with their aircraft.
Aer Lingus flight EI-401 was travelling from Rome’s Fiumicino airport to Dublin at the time.
The Airbus A320-200 jet was crossing St George’s Channel between Wales and Ireland when the crew rerouted to Shannon.
A Ryanair flight from Stansted to Shannon, which was a minutes ahead of the incident jet, was delayed from landing and requested to enter a holding pattern to allow the Aer Lingus aircraft priority to land.
On the ground at Shannon, the airport’s own fire and rescue service was alerted and crews mobilised to holding positions adjacent to the runway ahead of the jet’s arrival.
Air traffic controllers advised inbound aircraft that the jet could be disabled on the runway and might need to be towed clear resulting in delays to both departing and arriving flights.
The aircraft landed safely at 9.46am and as feared, was unable to vacate the runway under its own power. A tug was dispatched to tow the jet clear of the runway.
The jet was towed to its parking stand at around 10.05am and once an inspection of the runway was carried out, to ensure that no debris or fluid had been left behind by the incident aircraft, operations returned to normal.
It’s not yet clear when the passengers will continue their journey to Dublin and whether that will be by air or by road transport.
