Airport closed after plane leaves runway (From Daily Echo)

Southampton Airport closed after aircraft reversed onto grass

5:39pm Friday 19th October 2012 in News By Julian Robinson, Eastleigh Chief Reporter

Southampton Airport was closed this afternoon after a plane reversed on to grass as it was preparing to taxi to the runway.

The Aberdeen-bound aircraft, which was carrying 16 people, left the paved surface of the taxiway by less than a metre while manoeuvring off its parking stand.

Passengers disembarked and have returned to the terminal while the Eastern Airways Jetstream 41 is being inspected and towed back to its original position.

The airport was immediately closed while an investigation got underway this afternoon, but reopened at 4pm.

Two inbound flights had to be diverted to Bournemouth. Around ten flights scheduled to leave Southampton this afternoon were understood to be delayed.

An Eastern Airways spokesman said: “Whilst manoeuvring off its parking stand at Southampton the mainwheels of the Jetstream 41 aircraft left the paved surface of the taxiway by less than one metre.

“The 16 passengers on the flight to Aberdeen have disembarked as normal via the aircraft steps and returned to the terminal.

“We apologise to passengers for the resulting inconvenience. We have launched an investigation and engineers are inspecting the aircraft prior to towing it back to stand.”