Thomas Cook plane makes emergency landing at Manchester airport with part of wing missing

A plane flying to Cuba with part of its wing missing was forced to land at Manchester airport with a broken wing after a low oil alert.

The Thomas Cook plane left for Holguin shortly after midday on Monday, but was forced to return at just after 3pm. 

The plane, which was believed to have had 322 passengers on board, was pictured with the tip of its left wing missing after it carried out the emergency landing.

A Thomas Cook spokesman said the plane had suffered a “suspected technical fault” mid-air and had to return.

But the airline said the wing was not related to the alert and the missing piece did not affect the plane’s ability to fly.

In a statement, the airline said: “Thomas Cook Airlines flight MT2652 to Holguin returned to Manchester as a precaution after a low oil indication, unrelated to the wing.

“Safety always comes first and the aircraft will undergo a full safety check before returning to service.

“We are sorry to our customers for the delay and will get them back on the way as soon as possible.”

Thomas Cook said it had arranged overnight accommodation for the passengers while the aircraft undergoes maintenance work.

Earlier this month, a plane was forced to turn back to Sydney in a mid-air emergency after a gaping hole emerged in the casing of one of the aircraft's engines.

China Eastern said the crew on Flight 736 bound for Shanghai noticed damage to the air inlet on the left engine after takeoff Sunday evening and the captain decided to return.

Passengers told Australian media they heard a massive noise and smelled something burning in the Airbus A330 aircraft, which has two engines.

Photos shared on social media showed a large, jagged hole in the side of the casing of the plane's left engine.