Turkish Airlines flight makes dramatic emergency landing at Manchester Airport

"A puff of smoke and the smell of burning."

That's how plane enthusiasts described the tense moments following a Turkish Airlines flight's emergency landing at Manchester Airport today. The aircraft, an A330 jet which can carry up to 277 passengers, had to abort its initial landing attempt and go around for a second try.

During its subsequent approach, an emergency was declared, with fire engines at the ready as flight TK 1995 successfully landed.

Observers at a nearby viewing park noticed a puff of smoke and detected a burning odour after the plane left the runway and taxied towards the terminal. Reports indicate that the pilot shut down the engines and the plane remained stationary for about 24 minutes before it was decided to tow it to the terminal stand.

The incident unfolded after a four-hour journey from Istanbul, with the aircraft touching down around 4.35 pm. Following the first failed landing, the plane circled over Derbyshire and Cheshire before finally landing, reports the Manchester Evening News.

The jet reached the stand at approximately 5:21 pm, where passengers were then disembarked.

Plane enthusiast Stephen Uden, 50, from Horwich, shared his observations with the Manchester Evening News, describing the event as 'unusual' for an emergency landing. He recounted: "The plane turned off the runway and then there was a puff of smoke. The plane then just stopped. There were fire engines front and back. They were trying to work out if it had hot brakes or hot wheels. After a short while they towed it back to the terminal. It wasn't able to do that under its own steam."

Fellow spotter Liam Smith also witnessed the incident, noting the presence of six fire engines and mentioning that he could smell 'burning' after the aircraft landed.

This evening, a representative for Manchester Airport confirmed that the aircraft underwent an assessment and identified a 'minor hydraulic issue' as the cause of the emergency landing. The spokesperson emphasized that all passengers disembarked safely and added that despite the emergency nature of the landing, 'there was never a suggestion of any danger' and that such procedures are standard protocol.

It has been reported that the plane's subsequent flight was called off to give engineers additional time to inspect the hydraulics.

Turkish Airlines has yet to respond to requests for a statement.

NEWSLETTER: Sign up for CheshireLive email direct to your inbox here