Birmingham Airport issues statement after 'suspicious device' found on Aer Lingus plane

Operations were 'temporarily suspended' at Birmingham Airport after a 'suspicious device' was found on a plane. An Aer Lingus Regional flight between Birmingham and Belfast reportedly rerouted back to the city after the incident.

The Aer Lingus plane is believed to have reached Stoke-on-Trent before heading back to Birmingham Airport, according to Flight Radar. The plane landed safely and all passengers and crew have left the plane, a spokesman for Birmingham Airport confirmed.

There are currently no flights coming in or out of Birmingham Airport at the time of writing. However customers due to travel today are being told to still make their way and check in as normal.

Read more: Birmingham Airport 'operations suspended' live after 'suspicious device found on Aer Lingus plane'

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A spokesman for Birmingham Airport told BirminghamLive: "A Birmingham Airport spokesperson said: “Birmingham Airport reopened at 1800 hours following a security incident on an aircraft. All passengers and crew disembarked safely. Customers are advised to check with their airline, or on the Birmingham Airport website, before checking in due to potential delays.”

It said earlier: "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."

A spokesperson for Aer Lingus said: "We can confirm that an undeclared item discovered on Aer Lingus Regional flight EI3647, operated by Emerald Airlines, from Birmingham to Belfast today was not a security risk. Our teams are currently working to accommodate impacted passengers."

Flights which were bound for Birmingham are now diverting to East Midlands Airport, Manchester Airport and Bristol Airport. Others are being turned back around, according to traffic data monitor Inrix.

Youtube channel Airport Action reported a short time ago the emergency services vehicles around the landed plane had departed. This is a breaking incident and we'll bring you more updates through our live blog as the situation progresses.