This article is more than 9 months old

This article is more than 9 months old

Liverpool FC’s managing owner, Mike Gordon, was onboard the private jet that came off the runway at Liverpool John Lennon airport on Wednesday morning, the club has confirmed.

Liverpool confirmed Gordon was onboard along with three crew members when the plane came off the runway after landing. He did not require medical treatment but praised the care he was given by staff and emergency services at the airport.

A spokesman for the airport said no one was injured when the jet, which had four people onboard, came off the runway after landing at about 6am.

The airport has been closed since the incident, causing flight cancellations and delays.

Thom O'Donnell (@Thom0Donnell) Liverpool John Lennon Airport grounds all flights after private jet skids off runway @SkyNews pic.twitter.com/pBiOzd4RwG

The spokesman said: “We can confirm there was an incident at around 6am when a private jet with three crew and one passenger onboard came off the runway after landing.

“There were no injuries and the runway is expected to be closed until this afternoon while the airport deals with the incident. Anyone travelling from the airport today is advised to contact their airline for the latest information.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused and can assure customers we are doing all we can to resume services as quickly as possible.”

A source from Liverpool FC told reporters that Gordon, who is the president of Fenway Sports Group, the owner of Liverpool FC, was “absolutely fine”.

“There were no injuries and he wants to pass on his appreciation to the unbelievable staff at John Lennon airport and the emergency services for the way they dealt with the incident, which made it a non-traumatic experience,” the person said.

Liverpool Airport (@LPL_Airport) The Airport is currently closed, please contact your airline for any further information on your flight.



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Aaron Gill, from Birmingham, had been staying close to the airport when he was warned about possible delays.

He had planned to fly to Madrid with easyJet but later found out his flight had been cancelled due to the incident.

He said: “I’ve been put in a hotel on the terminal doorstep and changed to a flight tomorrow, so I’m happy that it’s been taken care of quickly.

“It would’ve been nicer to have been put on another flight today. I’ll be missing a Champions League game in Madrid, sadly.”

He added that there was not a tense atmosphere at the airport despite the long queues and police presence.

easyJet confirmed 12 flights have been cancelled so far on Wednesday and a further six have been rerouted to Manchester.

A spokesman said: “Customers on cancelled flights have been given the option of transferring their flight free of charge or receiving a refund.

“We are doing everything possible to minimise the impact of the disruption for our customers.

“Although this is outside of easyJet’s control, we would like to apologise to passengers for any inconvenience.”

The spokesman added that anyone due to fly with the budget airline should check the status of the flight on the easyJet website.

Officials from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch will assess whether the plane is safe to move. A specialist recovery team was on the way to Liverpool from the south of England and will use airbags to lift the aircraft.

In a video filmed for the Liverpool Echo, Paul Staples, the airport’s operations director, said staff were “trying to return to operations as quickly as we can”. He added: “We hope to have an update within an hour or so, as to when that might be.”

Flights arriving from Salzburg, where Liverpool FC played on Tuesday night, and from the Isle of Man and Dublin were diverted to Manchester on Wednesday morning, while flights from Belfast and Amsterdam were cancelled.