Stansted flights grounded after aborted take-off Published duration 1 March 2019

image copyright Thomas Steer/PA image caption Emergency slides were deployed from the plane on the runway

Flights into and out of Stansted Airport were grounded after passengers reported hearing an "explosion" on a departing plane.

The Laudamotion flight to Vienna aborted take-off at about 20:00 GMT, forcing the 169 people on board to evacuate via emergency slides.

Incoming flights were diverted to other airports following the incident, which a Stansted spokesman said was caused by "suspected engine failure".

The runway reopened just after 22:40.

An airport spokesman said eight people sustained minor injuries.

One passenger, Sam Long, wrote on Twitter that there was a "loud bang" as the plane began to accelerate and take off, followed by "huge deceleration".

Estate agent Thomas Steer, 24, from Essex, said it had been accelerating for around 15 seconds before there was a "big bang on the side of the aircraft which skidded to a stop".

He said: "It was scary. And then staff shouting 'evacuate evacuate'."

Another traveller, Jana, told how the flight attendants were "panicked" and "pretty much caused chaos themselves".

She also tweeted that using the emergency slide was "scary".

"We had to basically jump from the plane onto the slide down this 10m drop," she wrote.

image copyright Sam Long image caption Flights to Stansted were diverted to other airports while the plane was stranded on the runway

Stansted Airport tweeted: "Emergency service attended and all passengers were evacuated from the aircraft as a precaution."

The plane was removed from the runway shortly before 22:00 and an inspection was undertaken before flights resumed.

Laudamotion later tweeted: "The crew of OE flight from Stansted to Vienna decided to abort the take off due to engine issues and to disembark the passengers on the runway as a precautionary measure.

"Passengers were transferred to the terminal by bus and will be re-accommodated onto a replacement flight."