Pilot aborts Edinburgh landing in hurricane Ophelia high winds

HOLIDAYMAKERS returning to the Capital were rerouted to Glasgow this morning as their pilot struggled to land in high winds.

Edinburgh Airport

The Easyjet flight from Cyprus tried two aborted landings on Edinburgh Airport’s reserve runway - currently being used while the main strip is repaired.

Passengers and crew eventually touched down 50 miles away and more than 30 minutes later than scheduled at just after 2.45am.

“There was a go around reported to Glasgow,” said an Edinburgh Airport spokesman.

“But with the wind a number of planes landed. We’re using the contingency runway while doing running repairs.

“There were tailwinds the pilot didn’t like so he tried twice but he didn’t like it so it was diverted to Glasgow.”

Meteorologists are predicting hurricane-strength winds of up to 80mph for parts of the UK tomorrow as Storm Ophelia blows in from the Atlantic.

But airport bosses expect no major disruption to flights to and from Edinburgh.

“The winds are strong but we don’t anticipate anything stronger than we’ve had in the past,” added the spokesman.

“Modern aircraft are good in winds and land all the time. It was one aircraft - it’s down to the pilot who’s control of the plane.”

This was the second of three weekends that flights in and out of Edinburgh are using the airport’s secondary runway as the main one undergoes essential maintenance work.

A standard inspection in August spotted work needed with repairs carried out overnight in a bid to keep disruption to a minimum.

An alternative take-off and landing route will be used by 25 flights - bringing a number of areas under the flight path.

Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport Gordon Dewar said: “The runway is our most prized asset and we have to make sure that it is fit for use, which is why we continue to invest in our facilities and carry out essential repairs.

“It is natural for the surface to show signs of wear and tear given the increased number of flights we are experiencing and we plan for such occurrences, so passengers should be safe in the knowledge that this is not unexpected.

“We will use the secondary runway during the repair period and that means some of our local communities will experience a slight increase in the number aircraft operations – this will be kept to an absolute minimum as we carry out these essential repairs.”