Norwich Airport closes after light aircraft suffers undercarriage collapse on landing

Norwich Airport was forced to close temporarily on Sunday afternoon after a light aircraft's undercarriage collapsed during landing.

The incident occurred at approximately 1.48 pm, when a light aircraft carrying two people diverted to Norwich Airport following reports of an undercarriage issue. Emergency services, including fire and ambulance crews, were called to the scene as a precaution.

A spokesperson for Norwich Airport confirmed: “At 1.48 pm today, a light aircraft with two people on board diverted to Norwich Airport with a reported undercarriage issue. Upon landing, the undercarriage collapsed. Fire and ambulance services attended, and the two people were removed from the aircraft without injury.”

The aircraft involved has not been publicly identified. It is understood that no commercial passengers were aboard, and both individuals were safely evacuated without requiring medical treatment.

As a result of the incident, the airport's runway was closed to all air traffic. The airport’s website indicated that the runway was expected to remain out of service until at least 5 pm, leading to significant disruption for passengers.

Several flights were cancelled or diverted due to the closure. Services between Norwich and Amsterdam were among those affected, while a TUI flight arriving from Tenerife was redirected to London Stansted Airport.

Passengers due to travel from Norwich Airport were advised to check directly with their airlines for updates on their flight status. Airlines have been working to rearrange services where possible, although delays and cancellations were expected throughout the afternoon and evening.

No further incidents were reported, and investigations into the cause of the undercarriage failure are expected to take place. The airport confirmed that it was working to reopen the runway as quickly as possible once the aircraft had been safely removed and the area inspected.

Norwich Airport, located approximately three miles north of Norwich city centre, operates a number of domestic and international flights. While incidents such as this are rare, standard procedures require the immediate closure of the runway to ensure passenger safety and allow emergency services full access to the scene.

At the time of the incident, weather conditions were reported to be calm, with no indication that weather played a role in the aircraft’s difficulties.

Further updates from the airport and affected airlines were expected later in the day as recovery and inspection operations continued.