Image source, @SpursSingh

Birmingham Airport has reopened after this afternoon's emergency landing of a small plane caused the airport's only runway to close for several hours.

The Beechcraft B200 Super King Air, with three people on board, was heading to Belfast when it experienced issues with its landing gear and turned back to Birmingham for a bumpy landing which collapsed its under-carriage.

Since then, dozens of flights both to and from the airport have been cancelled and delayed, causing disruption to thousands of passengers in Birmingham, across the UK and internationally.

The incident is being investigated by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, and with the runway now clear, the process of clearing the flight back log is under way.

You can keep up-to-date with our story, as we're bringing our live coverage to an end.

Goodbye, and safe travels.

FlightRadar24 is showing several planes coming and going from Birmingham Airport now - although it seems that the online departures and arrivals board is still catching up.

Nadine Towell
BBC Midlands Today

Image source, Rtuh Taylor

Ruth Taylor from Stourbridge tells me she was flying from Kos to Birmingham today when everyone on the plane was told they were being diverted to Cardiff.

She says when they landed at Cardiff they sat on the plane for an hour and were then told that coaches were being organised to take them back to Birmingham.

Her family is travelling with another family, who have a three year old, Martha, who is "currently in full meltdown," she says.

"The whole coach is going to hate us."

We've been keeping our eyes on the live departures showing on flight tracking website, FlightRadar24, and it appears that the first plane has finally departed Birmingham Airport.

The Wizz Air flight to Bucharest, Romania, which was scheduled to leave Birmingham at 14:10 has finally started its journey.

Andrée Massiah
Live reporter

Graham Davies from Bromsgrove has been at Birmingham Airport with his wife and children since 11:00.

“Our flight was at 14:25 and we were minutes away from boarding when we knew something was wrong", he says.

"We saw staff looking out of the window and we heard that there were ambulance and fire crew on the runway.”

Graham explains why he is particularly looking forward to the trip: “This is our first family holiday. We saved up, and along with a bit of inheritance, we were able to afford our first holiday and we booked to go to Sharm-el-Sheikh [in Egypt]."

Though there have been some announcements, they've been struggling to hear them because of the low volume. But he says he's seen debris being cleared up on the runway.

"We are flying with Tui and staff have been on the move, so hopefully there will be some more information soon.”

There are now a number of flights on the Birmingham Airport online departure board showing that they are open for check-in.

As ever, passengers are advised to check with their airlines on the status of their flights.

Image source, Shafiq Uddin

Shafiq Uddin is travelling back to Birmingham from a holiday in Florence via Brussels today, alongside his 13-year-old daughter Isabella.

The pair were on the airport bus in Brussels that transports passengers from the terminal to the plane, he says, when they were told the bad news.

He was offered another flight to a different UK destination, but as his car is at Birmingham Airport, he has opted to fly to Frankfurt, and hopes to be back in Birmingham at 22:30.

Nadine Towell
BBC Midlands Today, Verona Airport, Italy

Image source, Nadine Towell/ BBC

Passengers waiting at Verona’s Valerio Catullo Airport in Italy hoping to fly to Birmingham at 19:30 BST (20:30 CEST) this evening have just been informed of a 100 minute delay. Some sitting near me at the gate seemed unaware of the problems at Birmingham today so were taken by surprise at the announcement.

Unfortunately, the Jet2 app seems to be suggesting an even longer delay. More like 140 minutes. We’re already through passport control with no food / drink options at the gate so the vending machine nearby has suddenly become very popular!

Our plane is visible through the glass. So near yet so far.

Birmingham Airport says operations have now resumed following the emergency landing of a small aircraft earlier today.

In a post on X, it says passengers should check with their airlines for details of their flights.

"We understand the frustration and apologise for the disruption this has caused," the post reads.

"Our teams have worked as quickly as possible, in line with strict protocols, which must be followed to ensure a safe reopening of the runway following a prolonged closure."

Image source, Birmingham Airport

Hannah Karpel
Live reporter

Image source, Faye Broadhurst

We heard earlier from Faye who was at Birmingham Airport with her four children, due to fly to Turkey on a Jet2 package holiday.

She has just sent us an update: "They have cancelled our holiday".

Faye says she recieved a text message saying the whole holiday has been cancelled, and there will be a full refund in four to five days.

Now she is waiting to collect her baggage along with 400 other people, she says.

Her children are "sobbing and crying."

"We are stuck here waiting for our baggage and it's boiling hot... and now our kids aren't going to have a holiday."

A little earlier the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, has posted a link on X to the Civil Aviation Authority's advice, external about passengers' rights when flights are delayed or cancelled.

"While disruption is minimal, I know how frustrating it can be, so check with your airline before you travel," she says.

Chloe Hughes
BBC News

Daniel Long from Kildare, Ireland, was due to fly to Dublin at 17:50 BST – which he has been told is delayed until at least 21:15 BST.

He lives in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, and is flying home for a big family reunion in Bantry.

“Don’t get me wrong, the situation is frustrating, but I think the staff on the ground dealing with passengers are doing the best they possibly can with the information they have,” he says.

He has managed to find a seat in a hotel bar across the road, while staff deal with an influx of customers because of the delays.

He adds that he was told the National Exhibition Centre next door - which is hosting a beer festival and offering stranded passengers a free pint - has opened two hallways and he should go there.

“I can’t be too annoyed with the staff at the airport as they are simply doing their best in an unprecedented situation. As long as everyone is safe they’re doing a fantastic job,” he says.

Kevin Reide
Reporting from Birmingham Airport

The aircraft has just been removed from the main runway, this indicates they may be on course to reopen at 20:00 BST.

Tim Page
BBC West Midlands

Some passengers and social media users have questioned why the airport would be closed for so long by a relatively minor light aircraft incident.

One factor is the need for the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) to thoroughly examine the plane in the place where it came to stop.

The AAIB's guidance, external for airports and other emergency services highlights the requirement: "It is important that the scene is preserved as much as possible until the AAIB inspectors arrive. The AAIB will attempt to keep the period during which the accident site needs to be guarded to a minimum. However, it must be appreciated that... on-site examinations can take a significant amount of time."

It adds: "To ensure that all potential evidence is preserved it is essential that the number of people in and around the wreckage is kept to a minimum."

We've just had an update from our reporter, Kevin Reide, at Birmingham Airport, who says the stricken plane is still sitting on the tarmac where it landed more than five hours ago, and there are emergency services vehicles surrounding it.

Birmingham Airport only has one runway, and there is currently no sign of the plane being moved any time soon while investigators examine the aircraft.

Andrée Massiah
Live reporter

Inside the terminal at Birmingham Airport, James Conibere and his family of eight are waiting at a Wetherspoons for updates on their flight.

“We’re hoping to travel to Malta as a retirement gift for my mother-in-law," says James, who arrived at the airport at 13:00 BST, just before the incident on the runway.

He says passengers are searching for somewhere to sit in the crowded pub, frustrated by the lack of updates.

"Lots of people are getting agitated and angry by the lack of information from the airport," he says.

"We have received a food voucher from Ryanair. We’re relying on news outlets for information.”

Image source, @SpursSingh

The company that owns the plane, Woodgate Aviation, has just put out a statement.

It says one of its Beechcraft fixed-wing aircraft developed landing gear problems on the journey to Belfast.

"The aircraft returned to Birmingham and made an emergency landing and the main under-carriage collapsed on touch down," the company says.

Two crew members and one passenger were onboard, the company says, but were not injured.

"The aircraft remains on the runway and Woodgate Aviation will be co-operating fully with Air Accident investigators and airport services."

It also pays tribute to the "professionalism of our colleagues and the emergency services".

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch says it is investigating the incident at Birmingham Airport earlier today.

It says: “Following an incident involving a light aircraft at Birmingham Airport, the AAIB has deployed a team to the site to begin an investigation.

"A multi-disciplinary team including inspectors with expertise in aircraft operations, engineering and recorded data have been deployed to the airport."

Image source, X

Here's a silver lining... while passengers wait at Birmingham Airport for updates, a beer festival is being held next door.

Its organisers have extended an offer to stranded passengers of a free beer if they show their boarding pass at the door.

"We hope everyone is ok at Birmingham International Airport," a post on X reads, external.

"If you are stuck at the airport, come to the Great British Beer Festival next door at the NEC for a pint while you wait."

The Great British Beer Festival is being held at the National Exhibition Centre, a short walk from the airport terminal.

Ten flights due to depart from Birmingham Airport today have been cancelled, according to information on its arrivals and departures board.

Four flights due to leave Birmingham have been delayed by more than five hours.

More than 20 flights due to land there have been diverted to other airports.

A handful of arrivals are delayed, including five flights by more than four hours.

Customers are advised to check the Birmingham Airport website, external for updates.

Many of the listed departures do not have information under the "status" section of the online information board, however.