Jet2 Boeing 737 Veers Off Birmingham Airport Runway During Landing

A Jet2 Boeing 737-800 veered off the left side of the runway at Birmingham Airport after landing on Sunday, October 25, as Storm Boelo brought strong winds to the UK. The aircraft ran onto the grass beside the runway, then returned to the paved surface and taxied to its stand. Jet2 said all passengers got off as normal, and no injuries have been reported.

What Happened

The aircraft was operating flight LS1310 from Venice to Birmingham, according to The Aviation Hub and Euro Weekly News. According to data from Flightradar24, the aircraft landed on Runway 33 at 14:19 local time.

Witnesses and footage shared online show the jet touching down and moving sharply toward the left edge of the runway. UKNIP described it appearing to cross onto the grass before coming back to the runway.

Jet2 confirmed the event to the BBC: 

Flight LS1310 from Venice to Birmingham temporarily moved off the runway after landing at Birmingham Airport earlier this afternoon, due to exceptional weather conditions caused by Storm Boelo. The aircraft immediately returned to the runway and has now taxied to the stand. We can confirm that everyone has disembarked as normal.

The Weather

Storm Boelo was the second named storm of the season, according to The Aviation Hub. It cited the Met Office for gusts of 60 to 70 mph across many areas and as high as 82 mph on Tiree in the Inner Hebrides, with an amber wind warning in force until 9 p.m. on Sunday. The crosswind at Birmingham around the time of landing was reported as 280/19G32, with gusts of about 59 km/h according to various outlets. 

Birmingham Airport has not been quoted in any of the coverage reviewed, so the length of any suspension is not confirmed.

Disruption Elsewhere

Euro Weekly said the storm disrupted flying across Scotland, northern England and other parts of the British Isles. Several arrivals at Leeds Bradford were diverted on Sunday morning, it reported, and an Air France flight from Paris abandoned its landing at Edinburgh and climbed away.

What Remains Unclear

Neither the cause of the excursion in technical terms nor any damage to the aircraft has been reported. UKNIP noted online speculation about damage but said nothing had been verified. The coverage does not say whether the aircraft has returned to service, and it mentions no investigation by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch. 

UKNIP reported that Jet2 had earlier warned that Storm Boelo could disrupt its flights from October 24 to 26, and that affected customers would be informed through its website, app, email or text.