A plane flying from a Scottish airport was forced to make an emergency landing minutes after take-off as it was ‘too heavy’ to fly, it has emerged.
The TUI flight was forced to abandon its flight path as it was unable to gain enough height.
The flight departed Edinburgh Airport on Friday, May 26, and was heading to Corfu, in Greece.
According to reports, the aircraft quickly circled the Firth of Forth before turning back and returning to Edinburgh Airport.
READ MORE: Glasgow-bound Jet2 flight has emergency landing after incident
It is understood that the plane was overweight due to the amount of fuel on board.
As a result, it struggled to gain enough height as it took off and crews decided it was safer to land the plane.
The flight was met by two emergency vehicles on the runway as it arrived back on the ground.
A TUI Plane (stock pic)
Fire crews raced to the runway to perform safety checks and evacuate passengers.
A passenger on the plane told Edinburgh Live that everyone was stuck on the grounded plane for two hours.
They said: "The fire brigade was there waiting when we landed. Then they followed the plane to an area where it had parked far away from the terminal.
"They said it was a technical fault where the plane couldn't gain any more height to fly so it returned to Edinburgh.
"They checked the undercarriage of the plane with thermal imaging equipment once they were happy we were then bussed to the terminal but the plane stayed where it was."
Edinburgh Airport confirmed that the aircraft was overweight but no further issues were found after checks were carried out.
READ MORE: Edinburgh flight disruption as plane makes emergency landing
An Edinburgh Airport spokesperson said: “Safety is paramount in aviation and our fire crews are highly trained and ready to respond to a range of incidents on the airfield as part of our standard operating procedures.
“In this instance the returning aircraft was overweight due to the amount of fuel on-board, and crews responded to ensure a safe arrival.
"Checks were carried out, no issues were found, and the incident was quickly stood down.”
A TUI spokesperson said: "We understand the frustration of customers on flight TOM 1596 and apologise for the delay experienced. Due to a potential technical issue, and with an abundance of caution, the aircraft returned to be inspected by engineers as the safety of our passengers and crew is always our upmost priority. The landing weight of the aircraft was within the manufacturers certification limits and a different aircraft was then used to take our customers on their holiday.
"We’d like to apologise again for any inconvenience caused, and thank customers for their patience and understanding."
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