Jet2 flight in emergency landing at East Midlands Airport after 'plane catches fire'

A plane packed with holidaymakers returning from Ibiza had to make an emergency landing at East Midlands Airport on Wednesday night - after smoke filled the cabin.

Jet2 said there had been a "minor electrical problem".

Malcolm Yates, a passenger from Lincolnshire, said people were screaming and that the intercom failed and there was no communication between cabin staff and passengers.

Speaking to the BBC, he said: "When we did come into land, it was quite erratic.

"We soon saw the fire engines lined up. The lights were all out. Then the doors didn't open. People started to panic.

"You could smell the burning, a strong electrical burning smell. That's when people started to panic, screaming 'get the kids off!'"

One woman even claimed her son managed to break a door and climbed out onto the wing of the plane, describing the scene as "chaos".

The Leicester Mercury reports that ground crews and firefighters were called to the runway as passengers had to leave the plane via the emergency exits.

A Jet2 spokesperson told the Nottingham Post: "Following a safe arrival last night at East Midlands Airport, flight LS644 from Ibiza had to be evacuated once on stand as a precautionary safety measure, due to a minor electrical problem which led to some smoke in the cabin.

"All passengers were looked after by our airport team. A full investigation is now under way. The safety of our passengers is of paramount importance."

According to the Lincolnshire Echo, the incident meant that three other planes due to land at the airport were diverted to Birmingham.

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