Operations have resumed at Shannon after the airport’s only operational runway was blocked by an aircraft that had made an emergency landing.
The crew of the transatlantic cargo flight evacuated their jet on the runway after earlier declaring a Mayday reporting a possible fire on board. The Cargolux Boeing 747-400(ER) jet was travelling from Miami, Florida to Amsterdam in the Netherlands at the time.
Flight CLX-94K was about an hour west of Shannon when the crew declared an emergency at around 6.00am and requested clearance from air traffic controllers to descend from 37,000ft to 25,000ft initially.
The crew confirmed there was a crew of three on board and they were carrying a consignment of flowers. The crew also advised controllers they had an indication in the cockpit suggesting a possible fire on the main deck.
The crew confirmed they wished to divert and land at Shannon where authorities were notified of the situation and a multi-agency emergency plan was promptly put into action.
Shannon Airport’s Fire and Rescue Service was alerted and crews deployed to holding points adjacent to the runway ahead of the aircraft’s arrival. Units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Shannon and Ennis stations were mobilised along with National Ambulance Service paramedics and Gardaí.
The flight landed safely at 6.51am and came to a stop on the runway where the three-person crew evacuated the aircraft using an emergency slide. Operations were brought to a standstill at Shannon while the runway was blocked by the incident aircraft.
The early morning Ryanair flight from Stansted Airport in London to Shannon was placed in a holding pattern southeast of the airport for over an hour but later diverted to Cork. A second Ryanair flight from Krakow circled north of the airport for a time until the crew also opted to divert to Cork. Both flights are due to return to Shannon with their passengers this morning.
Operations resumed at Shannon at 9.20am after the jet was towed clear of the runway. It’s now understood that there was no fire on board and that the indication was a false alarm.
A spokesperson for the Shannon Airport Group confirmed that a cargo flight routing from Miami to Amsterdam landed safely at Shannon Airport this morning.
“The aircraft was met on arrival by emergency services and Shannon Airport personnel. All crew members safely evacuated the plane. As a result, FR093 from Stansted to Shannon and FR3326 from Krakow to Shannon has diverted to Cork. Intending passengers are being asked to contact their airlines.”
