A FLIGHT from Southampton Airport was forced to make a landing on one engine.

The Flybe flight direct to Dublin was diverted to Birmingham Airport yesterday afternoon.

A spokeswoman from Flybe admitted the aircraft was forced to land with one engine, but played down the incident: “The aircraft is designed to fly safely with one engine, so there was no cause for concern.

“The captain followed all the required precautionary measures that included shutting down the number one engine.

"The safety of its passengers and crew is the airline’s number one priority and the airline apologises for any inconvenience experienced.” 

The flight left Southampton at 2.36pm and landed in Birmingham at 3.23pm as a precautionary measure.

The 78 passengers on board disembarked and an alternative flight to Dublin was laid on for them to depart later in the afternoon.