Flight to Manchester had to return to Shannon

An early morning flight to Manchester was forced to return to Shannon airport yesterday after the aircraft suffered engine problems…

An early morning flight to Manchester was forced to return to Shannon airport yesterday after the aircraft suffered engine problems shortly after take-off.

Aer Lingus regional flight EI-3600, operated by Aer Arann, left Shannon at 7.09am for Manchester. Just six minutes later, the pilot contacted traffic controllers to advise them of a problem with one of the aircraft’s two turbo-prop engines. Some passengers said the take-off “appeared a little shaky” while others said there was nothing unusual about the departure.

A replacement aircraft was flown in from the Isle of Man and passengers left for Manchester at 1.13pm, after a delay of almost six hours. The return leg from Manchester, which was due in Shannon at 10.15am, did not arrive until 4.40pm, while the Shannon to Edinburgh flight was also delayed as the same aircraft was due to undertake that journey.