Manchester Airport car tunnel fire closes runway
- Published
Manchester Airport said all flights had been diverted to runway two as a precaution
A car fire in a road tunnel led to one of Manchester Airport's runways being closed - causing delays to some flights.
The blaze broke out in Wilmslow Road, underneath runway one, at about 18:00 GMT Cheshire Police said.
Photos from the scene showed plumes of smoke billowing out of the underpass.
All flights had been diverted to runway two as a precaution but normal runway services have now resumed.
Queues of traffic built up outside the tunnel
The airport said some planes were delayed and passengers should check the status of their flight with their airline.
Eyewitness Dale Beardsall said the fire started when a vehicle "burst into flames with a bang and soon after smoke began to billow out".
Passengers had reported being stuck at foreign airports as a result, while others said their flights had been diverted to Liverpool, Birmingham and Leeds Bradford Airport.
Adam Harrington tweeted, external: "Fire at Manchester airport so sat on a runway in Alicante for an hour and a half."