Jet2 flight forced to make emergency landing after fault found on plane

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A Jet2 plane bound for the Canary Islands was forced to make an emergency landing this morning (4 April) after pilots discovered an on-board fault soon after it took off.

The flight took off at 8.45am from Leeds Bradford Airport and was making its way to popular holiday spot Fuerteventura when it landed at East Midlands Airport just after 9am.

A spokesperson for Jet2 told The Independent: “Flight LS249 from Leeds Bradford to Fuerteventura followed standard procedure and diverted to East Midlands Airport this morning, due to a minor fault indication. The aircraft landed safely, and customers will be transferred onto a standby aircraft and flown to their destination.”

The airline is yet to release any information about the nature of the issue.

Simon Hinchley, operations director at East Midlands Airport, said: “A flight had to make an emergency landing at East Midlands Airport this morning, this was dealt with in line with our emergency procedures.

“We are working to ensure the affected passengers can continue their journey as soon as possible.”

Jet2 confirmed to BBC News that affected passengers would be taken to a new plane to continue their journey.

“Flight LS249 from Leeds Bradford to Fuerteventura followed standard procedure and diverted to East Midlands Airport this morning, due to a minor fault indication.

“The aircraft landed safely, and customers will be transferred onto a standby aircraft and flown to their destination.”

A tweet posted on Twitter/X by Flightradar24 reads: “After departing Leeds Bradford (LBA) at 0900UTC, LS249 to Fuerteventura (FUE) squawked 7700, indicating a general emergency. Reason currently unknown. The aircraft is currently holding in the area.”

In February, a Jet2 aircraft travelling from Tenerife South to Birmingham had to make an emergency landing after smoke was reportedly seen inside the cabin.

The Airbus A321neo was duly diverted to Faro Airport in Portugal, where all 220 passengers were safely removed. The incident prompted a major response, with 80 firefighters, police and civil protection forces present at the scene.

A relief aircraft, a Boeing 757, was arranged to transport the stranded passengers home to Birmingham.