In the last 30 minutes, Birmingham Airport has temporarily suspended it’s operations amid a bomb threat on an Aer Lingus flight bound for Belfast.
Information continues to come in regarding this, but here is what we know so far.
Without further ado, let’s get into it…
Birmingham Airport Closed: Bomb Threat on Plane…
Aer Lingus Regional flight EAG47S, which declared an emergency, is a routine scheduled flight between Birmingham Airport and Belfast.
The aircraft involved in today’s emergency is G-CMJJ.
As per data from Planespotters.net, G-CMJJ is a 8.0 year old ATR 72 that started out life with TransNusa in May 2016.
Furthermore, by July 2021, the aircraft was handed back to lessor Nordic Aviation Capital.
In May 2022, Emerald Airlines, who operates the flights for Aer Lingus Regional, took delivery of the aircraft, originally registered as EI-HDJ.
By March 2023, the aircraft was subsequently re-registered to G-CMJJ under the UK subsidiary of the airline.
Of the ATR 72 variant, Aer Lingus regional has 17 in the fleet, of which 15 are in active service and two are parked.
Furthermore, average fleet age for the variant at the airline stands at 8.9 years.
Aer Lingus Regional flight EAG47S departed Birmingham at 1552 local time.
Whilst climbing out to Belfast, the crew onboard declared an emergency via the 7700 squawk code.
Furthermore, a u-turn was made and a subsequent descent back into BHX was made.
It is understood that the aircraft made a safe landing at 1625 local time.
As per @FlightEmergency on X, it is understood the cause of the emergency is quite sinister.
The crew on Aer Lingus Regional flight EAG47S between Birmingham and Belfast have reported a suspicious device onboard.
It is understood that the aircraft will no doubt get taken to a safe area at the airport to investigate.
The airport remains closed following this bomb threat and disposal teams are on scene.
Live Updates From The Scene…
Welcome!
Welcome to our live coverage of this event. Updates will follow shortly.
Current Scene from Birmingham Airport…
The current scene from Birmingham Airport is being broadcast by @AirportAction, where we can see that the Aer Lingus ATR is in a confined area of the airport pending further investigation by authorities.
Awaiting Comment from BHX…
AviationSource has approached Birmingham Airport for comment. We are waiting to hear back from them regarding this ongoing incident.
Birmingham Airport Issues Statement…
The airport has issued a statement on the ongoing incident, saying the following:
“Birmingham Airport has temporarily suspended operations due to a security incident on an aircraft.”
“The aircraft landed safely and all passengers and crew have disembarked.”
“All customers due to travel should make their way to the airport and check in as normal.”
Diversions Begin…
The diversions begin at Birmingham Airport. KLM flight KL1047 is diverting to Bristol due to the bomb threat causing an airport closure.
Emergency Vehicles Clearing?
Emergency vehicles look to be clearing the scene now. Still to be confirmed currently.
Airport Reopened…
Birmingham Airport has reopened to commercial traffic, with emergency crews stood down following the incident today.
Click the photo to join our WhatsApp channel so then you can stay up to date with everything going on in the aviation industry!
