Luton Airport flight aborted 'at high speed' during take-off
A passenger has described how "the brakes slammed on" when a flight was aborted during take-off.Paul Bartlett, 64, was on the 15:10 Wizz Air flight to Tirana, Albania on Monday when the incident happened at London Luton Airport.The airport said "all passengers disembarked safely" and that the fire service had attended "as a precautionary measure". Wizz Air has been contacted for comment.
Mr Bartlett, who lives in Milton Keynes, said the plane was on the runway and "we were literally one or two seconds from take off when there was heavy breaking"."There was no panic, it was a superb stop by the pilots. The cabin crew were good," he told the BBC.He said passengers were told in an onboard announcement that the reason was believed to be "an instrument fault"."Everyone is perfectly fine – they're just checking the aircraft now," he said, speaking from inside the terminal where passengers were waiting.A spokesperson for London Luton Airport said: "The aircraft returned to stand in line with the industry's safety-first approach. There was no disruption to airport operations."The airport said the incident was is not something that would be reportable to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.
Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
2 hours ago
- Sky News
Activist fund Palliser builds stake in travel retailer WH Smith
A prominent activist investment firm has begun building a stake in WH Smith, the travel retailer, weeks after it sold off its historic high street arm. Sky News has learnt that Palliser Capital has acquired close to 5% of the London-listed company in recent weeks - worth about £65m at the current share price. Sources said the stake was expected to be disclosed publicly at an industry conference on Thursday afternoon. Palliser, which recently led an effort to force Rio Tinto, the global mining group, to abandon its London listing in favour of Australia, is said to hold WH Smith's management team - led by chief executive Carl Cowling - in high regard. The investment fund believes, however, that returns to WH Smith shareholders could be bolstered through a series of self-help measures. These included reviewing the travel retailer's leverage targets and capital allocation policy to ensure better use of its balance sheet, according to one source. Improving investor communication and disclosure, and overhauling its executive incentive structure to align it more closely with the interests of shareholders are also on Palliser's wishlist, the source added. Shares in WH Smith are still trading at levels comparable to their lows during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the global travel industry faced near-total shutdown for long periods. The company's depressed share price is not unique to WH Smith, with SSP, the transport catering group, also drawing interest from activists in recent months. WH Smith trades from more than 1,200 travel stores in over 30 countries. "The group operates in structurally advantaged growth markets," it said in April. "Passenger numbers are forecast to grow in air travel by 2.5 times between 2024 and 2050, driven by both population and economic growth. "Investment in airport infrastructure is also increasing across the globe creating more opportunities for airport retailing." Palliser is understood to have identified WH Smith's high growth potential in the US as particularly attractive, and is said to believe that there is scope for its shares to nearly double in value in the next three years. WH Smith's decision to offload its town centre business, which dates back to 1792, was revealed by Sky News in January, and was viewed as a fresg symbol of the British high street's decline. Comprising about 480 stores and roughly 5,000 staff, the unit was sold to Modella Capital, an increasingly prolific investor in retail businesses. The stores are being rebranded under the new name TG Jones. On Thursday afternoon, shares in WH Smith were trading at around £10.60 - down more than 10% over the last year, and giving the company a market capitalisation of £1.36bn. A spokesman for Palliser, which led a successful campaign against the board of London-listed Capricorn Energy, declined to comment.
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
I've discovered a unique pub with a real beach in central London – we sipped wine with our feet in the sand
LIVING in central London can sometimes make you feel boxed-in - like there is no escape of either countryside or sea. And whilst this is one of the sacrifices you have to make when you live in the city, wouldn't it be ideal to find a spot in the city that gives you the feel of being by the sea? 6 6 6 Well, after five years of living in the capital - I have finally found that spot. Between the Tate Modern and London Blackfriars Station, the Founder's Arms on the River Thames seems like an ordinary Fuller's pub. But when the sun is shining and the tide washes out, directly beneath the pub a sandy beach emerges. Now, I know you might be thinking that the Thames just has mud and probably an old tire. But when I say beach, I mean it - golden sand and all. Myself and fellow travel reporter, Alice Penwill grabbed a glass of wine and headed down to the beach. A medium glass of white cost me just over £7 - and for a lunchtime tipple, I would say it was a generous medium. The sitting in the beaming sunshine, watching a couple boats whizz by, Alice and I did feel like we were somewhere else. Whilst the water obviously doesn't looking inviting, we were sat on a beach in the city, with wine - all during our lunch break. Not many Londoners can say they have popped to the beach during the working day. Pub With A 'Floating' Beer Garden By The Beach The beach was also surprisingly clean, with only a few stones scattered across. A couple nearby visitors were investigating the beach - presumably mud-larking for treasures. But the most noticeable difference compare to the seaside on the coast? No screaming gulls. Despite not having an ice cream in my hand, I felt confident that if I did have one, it wouldn't have been snatched by an over-confident bird. The pub itself also has a nice seating area outside, that overlooks the Thames and across to St Paul's cathedral. 6 6 If the weather does take a turn for the worse, like it often does in the UK, there is also a bar inside and plenty of seating that looked comfy and cosy. Pooches are also welcome in the pub, thankfully. Make sure to head to to check when the tide is out, to ensure you get to enjoy the beach on your visit. In the mean time, there is another London pub that has a secret beach behind it. Plus, the E nglish pub where the beer garden is on the beach that people say feels 'more like Miami'. 6
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
The most dangerous country in the world revealed as surprising location bags the top spot
New research has revealed the world's most dangerous countries to travel to and Britons might be surprised by the results. The researchers looked at 35 criteria to determine the most dangerous and safest countries to visit. The rate of natural disasters, violence in society, involvement in armed conflicts and health infrastructure were all covered to determine the safest destinations to travel to. So, where are the world's most dangerous countries to travel to? The Philippines ranks as the world's most unsafe holiday destination according to the research. Despite its position at the bottom of the safety ranking, the country remains a popular tourist hotspot. More than 5.4 million international holidaymakers travelled to the Philippines in 2024 with many heading to popular beach spots such as Boracay and Palawan. Next on the list in the danger rankings is Colombia. The South American country has a high rate of violence within society which earned it second place. It's also a popular tourist destination and welcomed 6.2 million international tourists in 2024, nearly a 30 per cent increase on visitors numbers in 2022. But the third most dangerous country on the ranking is one of the world's leading tourist destinations. According to the research, Mexico is the third most dangerous tourist destination in the world. Much like Colombia, the country earned its place on the ranking due to high levels of violence within society. In 2024, around 45 million international tourists travelled to Mexico. The country's leading holiday destinations include Cancun, Tulum and Playa del Carmen. India also ranks among the most dangerous holiday destinations for international tourists. Russia, Yemen, Somalia, Iran and Syria all feature in the most dangerous top 10 destinations. Each of the five countries are on the UK Government's Do not Travel list. At the other end of the scale, Iceland ranks as the world's safest country to travel to for a holiday. Singapore ranks second on the list. HelloSafe, which commissioned the research, says: 'A country's safety and the feeling of security are often essential criteria for international travellers. The results sometimes contradict preconceived ideas.' Denmark is listed as the third safest country in the world while Austria and Switzerland also rank among the top five. The Czech Republic, Slovenia, Finland, Ireland and Hungary also make the top 10 safest countries in the world. In Europe, Greece and France both rank as two of the continent's least safe countries to visit, with only Russia and Ukraine listed as more dangerous.
