By Patrick Flynn

A US bound jet was forced to return to Dublin today after it experienced technical problems soon after departure.

US Airways flight AWE-723 left Dublin at around 11.15am bound for Philadelphia.

Soon afterwards, the crew informed air traffic controllers that they wished to stop their climb and level off so that they could investigate a mechanical issue.

The Boeing 757 levelled off at 12,000 feet and entered a holding pattern north of Navan so that they could troubleshoot the problem.

Unable to resolve the issue the crew remained in the hold to burn off fuel before returning to the airport.

Almost 80 minutes after departure, the pilot updated controllers of their situation and confirmed they were declaring an emergency.

Several aircraft were placed in holding patterns east of the airport to allow the jet a priority approach.

Airport crash crews took up positions at different locations along the runway ahead of the jet's return - and were backed up by several units of Dublin Fire Brigade.

The flight touched down safely at 12.42pm and was able to taxi off the runway to continue on to the terminal reporting no further issues.

Engineers are investigating the problem, while the airline has yet to confirm whether the passengers will continue their journey today.