
UK airport closed after plane catches fire on runway
Passengers are being urged to contact the airlines they are flying with before heading to the airport as crews work to clear the runway after the incident
Passengers are being advised to contact their airline before travelling to the airport.
(Image: Getty- STOCK IMAGE)
A major British airport has been shut down after an aircraft burst into flames on the runway, leading to flight cancellations and delays. Today, Friday August 8, Norwich Airport is anticipated to stay closed until 12.30pm following the small fire which erupted in the aircraft's engine during take-off.
Travellers are being advised to contact their airlines before making the journey to the airport. Witnesses reported a substantial emergency services response at the location. A similar incident caused major delays and cancellations at Birmingham Airport after an emergency landing, you can read more here.
One passenger told the Eastern Daily Press: "We could tell something was wrong. We heard 'crash! crash!' over the radios. We went outside to have a look. The propellers on the plane looked bent. It did not look like there was any landing gear down." For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here .
Emergency crews at the scene characterised the incident as "nothing major", with the East of England Ambulance service confirming no casualties and being stood down whilst en route to the airport.
Norfolk Constabulary was also stood down, according to a spokesperson.
A spokesman for Norwich Airport said: "We can confirm we are dealing with an incident involving a light aircraft which took place at 08:30 this morning.
"The runway is currently closed and is expected to reopen at 12:30 today. Passengers due to travel are advised to check with their airline for further details."
The departures list on the airport's website indicates one flight has been postponed and another scrapped.
A KLM flight to Amsterdam, originally scheduled for a 9.40am departure, has been cancelled, while a Loganair flight to Aberdeen has been delayed by three hours, now set to depart at 11.30am instead of 8.35am.
The remaining seven departures are all currently expected to proceed as planned.
In terms of arrivals, there has also been one cancellation and one delay.
Passengers on the TUI flight from Corfu will experience a slight delay of about 15 minutes, with the arrival time pushed back from 1.10pm to 1.26pm.
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Additionally, a KLM flight from Amsterdam, which was due to land at 9.05am, was cancelled this morning.
The other seven flights scheduled to arrive at Norwich Airport are all currently anticipated to proceed as scheduled.

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Wales Online
3 hours ago
- Wales Online
I drove to visit towns on each side of Welsh border but made one big mistake
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Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
I visited a British nudist beach for the first time and it was hilarious – now I'm hooked on being naked on holiday
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Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Studland Beach in Dorset is one of the most popular naturist beaches in the UK Credit: Alamy 6 Tracey Davies strips off and discovers that baring all on the beach is empowering Credit: supplied 6 The naturist beach in Brighton, east Sussex, is just down the road from the family-friendly beaches by the pier Credit: Alamy This is presenting itself in the form of tattoos, endless trips abroad, and, ahem, a foray into naturism. Nude sunbathing is not just about thrill-seeking, it's also about reclaiming my body. Now in its 53rd year, my beautiful sack of sausage skin has housed three children – two at the same time, in fact – it has run marathons, climbed mountains, and suffered more than its fair share of debilitating hangovers, but so far (touch wood) it has never let me down. Nakedness is just one of the many things I'm enjoying about getting older. I grew up in seventies suburbia, when our bits and bobs were largely kept under wraps. I was twenty before I exposed my body publicly. It was a girls' holiday in Majorca '92 and still tipsy from the night before, my friends and I decided to go topless and I can remember how liberating and natural it felt. While thirty years later my pups aren't as pert as they used to be, but it doesn't mean that they don't deserve their time in the sun. Brigitte Bardot started the trend for topless sunbathing in 1958 on Pampelonne Beach in St Tropez. Lorraine presenter strips completely naked as she heads to UK's 'biggest naturist festival' Presumably ending up golden bronzed with no tan lines - seems like a great idea to me. A few years ago, I visited the same beach in France and topless bathing was still very much the norm, particularly amongst Gallic women my age. I was tempted to let the girls hang loose too, but my teenage son threatened to call the authorities. Since getting divorced, I have travelled around the world on my own and with friends. 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Park at the Knoll Beach car park before an easy hike along the half-mile beach until you reach the National Trust boundary informing visitors that 'naturists may be seen beyond this point'. The Strangles, Cornwall This naturist beach is perhaps the most beautiful in the UK. It's so secluded it was once used by smugglers, making it ideal for shy first-time nudists. The shoreline has large rock pools to cool off in, but open-water swimming is not recommended due to the strong tide. Park near the National Trust farm of Trevigue. Then, it's a walk down to the well-signed beach. Brighton beach, Brighton One of Britain's oldest and most popular nude beaches is also the most accessible, only a mile walk east of the famous Brighton Palace Pier. Brighton made a little bit of seaside history on 1 April 1980 when it opened its naturist beach - the first public naturist beach in the UK. Signs are provided to indicate where the naturist beach commences and large banks of pebbles shield you from the general public. Druridge Bay, Northumberland Each autumn equinox, Druridge Bay hosts the annual North East Skinny Dip, with more than 100 participants. The dune-backed sands are beautiful and offer privacy, so are well-loved by naturists. Park at the National Trust car park then hike towards Chevington Burn, a shallow waterway that crosses the broad beach. Dyffryn, Gwynedd This is a long sandy beach with easy access but can get windy on a blustery day, so many sunbathers bring a windbreaker for added protection and privacy. Linked to the Morfa Dyffryn National Nature Reserve, the sea here is clean and safe, so a popular spot for naked swimming.


Daily Record
4 hours ago
- Daily Record
easyJet, British Airways and Wizz Air travellers to Spain facing major disruption
The union UGT has already announced repeated walkouts in Ryanair's baggage handling department, starting on August 15 - with the prospect of delays and flight cancellations made worse by another strike British holidaymakers travelling to Spain face a double blow as further strike action has been confirmed affecting major airports and airlines. The union UGT has already declared repeated walkouts in Ryanair's baggage handling department, commencing on August 15. However, the threat of delays and flight cancellations has worsened after 1,500 workers with another firm, Menzies, announced their own industrial action, also beginning this month. Menzies provides services to airlines including Emirates, British Airways, American Airlines, easyJet, Turkish Airlines, Norwegian and Wizz Air. The UGT union has announced a strike by ground staff of the Menzies group that will impact five Spanish airports, including Barcelona-El Prat, Alicante, Palma, Malaga and Tenerife South, on August 16, 17, 23, 24, 30 and 31. The workers' representatives are objecting to what they regard as "serious and repeated breaches of labour agreements and the conditions established by agreement" by Menzies, they said in a statement. Amongst these "violations", UGT highlights "salary breaches, violation of subrogation rights, disorganisation in working hours and schedules." It also alleges "constant errors in the management of personnel and payroll", reports the Express. The union also argues that there is a shortage of staff to handle the workload and an "arbitrary imposition of holidays." It alleges that Menzies is violating the sectoral handling agreement, the company's own agreement, and the sectoral agreement ratified by the Interconfederal Mediation and Arbitration Service (SIMA) in December 2024, which led to the cancellation of a previous strike. The UGT union has already called for multiple strikes in Ryanair's handling department. This comes during a period when Spain is teeming with tourists at the peak of the season and school holidays. This strike, involving over 3,000 workers who load and unload luggage, will take place on August 15, 16, and 17 and then every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In even more concerning news, unless a resolution is reached, the Ryanair strikes could continue until next January. Under legal rules, the workers are required to provide a "minimum service" which is yet to be determined, but the action will still significantly affect travellers. The protests are "against the sanctions imposed on workers and the abuse of hours." Ryanair's bases are situated in Valencia, Alicite, Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Malaga, Ibiza, Palma, Girona, Tenerife South, Lanzarote and Santiago. The strike at Azul Handling (Ryanair's handling subsidiary) is set for August 15, 16 and 17 and will continue every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday until at least December 31, as confirmed by the UGT in a statement. The actions could potentially extend into January. The strike will take place between 5am and 9am, noon and 3pm and 9pm to 11.59pm. The FeSMC-UGT airline sector is requesting mediation before the Interconfederal Mediation and Arbitration Service (SIMA). The union has outlined the reasons for the call. It says these are: Lack of stable job creation and consolidation of working hours for permanent part-time staff Imposition and coercion in the performance of complementary hours, both ordinary and voluntary, apply in some cases, with disproportionate sanctions Repeated failure to comply with the opinions of the Joint Committee of the Sectoral Agreement on guarantees and bonuses Illegal restrictions on reinstatement after medical discharge and on the adaptation of working hours to exercise the right to family conciliation It says: "UGT regrets having to go to these extremes and all the damages that may occur, for which the direct responsibility will be solely and exclusively the company and its reckless action with the workforce." Jose Manuel Perez Grande, Federal Secretary of the FeSMC-UGT Air Union, has accused Azul Handling of maintaining "a strategy of precariousness and pressure on the workforce that violates basic labour rights and systematically ignores union demands." The FeSMC-UGT Air Sector is calling for the company to retract the sanctions, adhere to the recommendations of the Joint Commission, and start a real negotiation process aimed at enhancing the working conditions for over 3,000 employees across the country.