TUI plane issued mayday call after ‘trespasser’ shut runway at UK airport
The TUI flight, not pictured, had taken off from Cape Verde around five hours earlier (Picture: Getty Images)
A TUI flight was forced into an emergency diversion as its fuel supplies ran low during a ‘tresspass’ incident at Manchester Airport.
Planes were blocked from landing on a runway at the UK’s third-busiest airport for a period on Friday night due to the security breach.
They included one TUI Airways flight from Cape Verde’s Aristides Pereira International Airport, which was five hours into its journey when it began its approach to Manchester.
However, air traffic control intervened and told the pilot that the plane would need to stay in the air until the incident was cleared.
This meant the aircraft was forced into a holding pattern at 6,000 feet over the Peak District, according to news site AirLive.
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But its fuel supplies were dwindling fast, and after around 20 minutes the crew on board flight BY439 needed to declare a general emergency using squawk code 7700.
Air traffic control promptly diverted the plane to East Midlands Airport, a short distance away.
The TUI flight landed and spent just one hour being refuelled at the alternative airport before heading back over to Manchester.
That second stage of the flight was comparatively easygoing for passengers and crew – taking just 18 minutes.
Greater Manchester Police said officers responded to reports of a male who was ‘air side’ at the airport at around 11.20pm on Friday.
A 17-year-old was detained under the Mental Health Act and inquiries continue.
Six other flights were required to divert, while a further 17 or so were held in holding patterns due to the security breach, according to AirLive.
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