Doncaster Sheffield Airport chaos after plane skids off runway - planes diverted
DONCASTER Sheffield Airport has been hit by chaos this afternoon after a plane skidded off the runway into the grass, grounding all flights.
Doncaster Sheffield Airport: Plane skids off the runway
The Boeing 747 cargo aircraft veered off the tarmac at the South Yorkshire airport earlier today. Airport staff temporarily closed the runway. Photos of the scene show crew members being evacuated from the plane via ladders.
There were no passengers on board at the time of the incident, the airport has confirmed.
One witness tweeted: “The Astral 747 we saw has come off the runway nose gear embedded in the grass while backtracking.”
A spokesperson from Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) said: “We can confirm that the runway at DSA is temporarily closed due to a 747 freight aircraft requiring operational support.
"There were no passengers on board at the time of the incident, and there were no injuries to colleagues or crew.
"The freight on board the aircraft may be offloaded to aid recovery.
"The fire team attended to assess the situation, have confirmed that the aircraft is safe, and have now returned to the station.
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"This will cause disruption to flights arriving and departing from DSA this afternoon."
The airport said a plane from the Polish city of Poznan due to land at the airport today was diverted to Leeds Bradford Airport.
And outbound flights to Poznan "will be provided with transport to meet their flight" at Leeds.
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The spokesperson added: "At this time it is unclear how quickly the runway can reopen.
"Passengers travelling to Katowice and Gdansk this evening should keep in touch with their airline.
"Updates will be provided over the next few hours as the situation becomes clearer.”
Doncaster Sheffield Airport later confirmed that the runway would remain closed until Wednesday, when departures will operate as planned.
Astral Aviation is a cargo airline based in Nairobi, Kenya.
The firm was established in 2000.
Astral operates cargo flights to regional destinations in Africa and to Liege in Belgium.
Doncaster Sheffield Airport and London Stansted Airport are among its UK destinations.