A US-bound passenger jet that suffered ‘serious hydraulic issues’ soon after taking off from an airport in Scotland, has made and emergency landing at Shannon Airport.
Delta Air Lines flight DL-123 took off from Edinburgh Airport at around 12.30pm bound for Boston in the United States. The flight crew entered a holding pattern off the Scottish coast as they attempted to troubleshoot the problem.
The aircraft circled for about 15 minutes before the decided to divert to Shannon as the required the longest possible runway for their emergency landing. It’s understood that the issued involved the aircraft hydraulic system that operates a number of aircraft functions.
On the ground at Shannon Airport, an emergency plan was put into action which involved alerting the local authority fire service, HSE and National Ambulance Service and An Garda Síochána.
Units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Shannon and Ennis stations were mobilised to the airport along with a number of National Ambulance Service resources and Garda units.
Airport and local authority fire and rescue crews were mobilised to holding positions adjacent to the runway in advance of the aircraft’s arrival. A tug was also placed on standby in case the jet had to be towed from the flight strip.
The aircraft landed safely at 1.43pm and was pursued along the runway by rescue crews. Fire crews used thermal imaging cameras to inspect the plane’s braking system and undercarriage to ensure it hadn’t overheated during the emergency landing.
Once this had been completed and it had been confirmed that everything was normal, the jet taxied to the terminal accompanied by rescue crews. Further checks were carried out by fire officers at the aircraft’s parking position.
Passengers have since been deboarded and taken to the transit lounge as it’s expected the aircraft will be grounded until the mechanical issue has been investigated and resolved.
Confirmation is awaited from the airline on whether a replacement aircraft will be sent to Shannon or if the passengers while have to be accommodated in hotels overnight.
