A passenger flight from Italy to Ireland was forced to divert to Shannon Airport on Saturday morning after the crew reported a mechanical issue with their aircraft.
Aer Lingus flight EI-401 was travelling from Rome’s Fiumicino airport to Dublin at the time.
The Airbus A320-200 jet was crossing St George’s Channel between Wales and Ireland when the crew rerouted to Shannon. The crew had issued a pan-pan radio call confirming they had an issue with their aircraft’s hydraulic systems. A pan-pan indicates “urgency” on board but is not as serious as a may-day.
A Ryanair flight from Stansted to Shannon, which was minutes ahead of the affected aircraft, was delayed from landing and requested to enter a holding pattern to allow the Aer Lingus aircraft priority to land.
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On the ground at Shannon, the airport’s fire and rescue service was alerted and crews mobilised to holding positions adjacent to the runway ahead of the jet’s arrival.
Air traffic controllers advised inbound aircraft that the jet could be disabled on the runway and might need to be towed clear, resulting in delays to both departing and arriving flights.
The aircraft landed safely at 9.46am. It was unable to vacate the runway under its own power. A tug was dispatched to tow it clear of the runway.
It’s not yet clear when the passengers will continue their journey to Dublin and whether that will be by air or by road transport.
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