18 September 2023 , 04:48
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A plane packed with Brit holidaymakers flying into Lanzarote was delayed - because of a dog on the runway.
The pilot of the Jet2 Boeing 757 was forced to abort the landing at the last minute. The aircraft, carrying 300 passengers, had set off from Manchester Airport at 6.15pm and was nearing the end of its four-and-a-half hour flight.
But, just as it was making its descent into the airport on the Canary Isle, the plane suddenly started speeding up and increasing altitude. Bewildered passengers were left wondering what was going on.
An announcement over the Tannoy revealed "an animal was on the runway" and ground crews were trying to find it. The aircraft continued to fly out over the sea as passengers were told to remain in their seats.
A flight tracker showing Jet2 Boeing 757’s route from Manchester to Lanzarote (Jam Press/Flightradar24)
Bewildered passengers were left wondering what was going on (Jam Press/FlightAware)The plane continued to circle over the island for 40 minutes leaving passengers worried it would run out of fuel. But, just as the plane was about to be diverted to a clear runway 142 miles away on Gran Canaria, the pilot got the nod to land from Lanzarote air traffic control.
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Passengers cheered, clapped and whooped as the plane finally touched down safely on the runway. The flight tracker shows the plane going around in circles in the air.
Passenger, Dylan John, 45, said: "Those 40 minutes felt like an eternity. Just as it appeared we were starting to land, the pilot put the power up and we started climbing. People were looking out of windows wondering what the hell was going on at first.
Passengers after landing in Lanzarote (Jam Press)“Babies were crying because of the air pressure. I did say a little prayer to myself as you always fear the worst when landing on a plane. Thankfully we got down to the ground okay but it was a scary experience. I overheard one passenger joke if the pilot knew where the airport was. It was hardly the pilot's fault."
Mick Lambert, 63, of Pontefract, praised the pilot for her quick-thinking actions.
He said: "It could have been a disaster. The pilot must have been putting all the calculations into a computer at quick-fire speed to work out how much fuel we had left and if we could get to Gran Canaria. I just think that the runway was busy, maybe an emergency or something like that, nothing untoward.
"Something disruptive that's what caused the sequence to disrupt, maybe something in air traffic control who knows we will probably never find out. We are all safe that's what counts. The main thing is we landed safely. It could easily have sparked panic on the plane."
It is not known what happened to the dog following the incident on August 27.