No flights leaving Gatwick, says aiport

Gatwick Airport said no flights will be leaving until 6pm and inbound flights are being diverted to other airports.

By The Newsroom

Published 29th Dec 2014, 17:19 BST

A Virgin 747 is seen circling over Sussex, December 29 2014 after it developed a problem with its landing gear. Initial reports suggest one side of the landing gear is not deployed on the Gatwick to Las Vegas flight. Photo courtesy SWNS.

The runway has been closed until Virgin flight VS43 aircraft can be removed and based on current predictions it is not expected to reopen until at least 6pm.

The airport said passengers had disembarked from the plane which was bound for Las Vegas but spent nearly four hours circling around Sussex due to a technical fault.

At this time, only minor injuries have been reported.

A spokesperson for Gatwick Airport said: “We advise passengers to check with their airlines on the status of their flight. Updates will also be posted on the Gatwick website and on Twitter.”