Plane skids off runway at Liverpool airport

Flights grounded or diverted to Manchester as airport closed after accident

The private jet veered into the grass verge (THOM O'DONNELL/VIA REUTERS)

Liverpool Airport is closed after a plane skidded off the runway this morning.

The incident occurred at around 6am, when a private jet carrying three crew and one passenger overshot the runway.

Emergency services were called to the scene but no injuries were reported.

It resulted in the airport closing, with passengers due to travel advised to check with their airline first.

Some flights have been grounded, while others have been diverted to Manchester airport, some 30 miles away.

A spokesperson for Liverpool John Lennon Airport told The Independent: “We can confirm there was an incident at around 6am this morning when a private jet with three crew and one passenger on board came off the runway after landing.

“There were no injuries and the runway is expected to be closed until this afternoon while the Airport deals with the incident.

“Anyone travelling from the airport today is advised to contact their airline for the latest information.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused and can assure customers we are doing all we can to resume services as quickly as possible.”

Passengers shared their experiences of flight delays on social media this morning.

One Twitter user wrote: “If you want a story that sums up this election, it’s not a stump speech by Boris or a call to arms from Nicola. It’s that thousands of passengers, including me, have been diverted from #LiverpoolAirport today because a private jet carrying ONE passenger ran off the runway.”

Another tweeted: “Stuck at the closed #liverpoolairport changed flights to this afternoon in hope. Anybody know when it’s reopening?”

It’s not the first time a jet has come off the runway.

In July, an Air India Express plane overshot the runway as it landed in the southern city of Mangalore.

The inbound flight IX384 from Dubai was carrying 183 passengers and six crew members when it veered off into a muddy patch of grass.

No one was injured in the incident.