A United Airlines jet has been forced to make an emergency landing at Shannon airport in south-west Ireland.
No one on board was injured when the flight, from Belfast International to Newark, was forced to divert to Shannon on Monday morning after a “mechanical issue” in relation to nose and landing gear.
Before landing, Flight UA76 had to circle around Ireland’s western seaboard dumping fuel from the skies above County Clare. The Boeing 757-224 plane had left Belfast international airport at 11.19am and was due to arrive at Newark airport in the US at 1.45pm local time.
Among those on board the flight was the Belfast-based Press Association journalist Lesley Ann McKeown. After the plane landed the reporter tweeted praise for the United Airlines staff. She wrote:
Full praise to staff on UA076 from Belfast to Newark. Scary at times but thankfully all good in the end. Hats off to the crew & captain!
— Lesley-Anne McKeown (@LAMcbelfast) October 24, 2016