London-bound plane makes emergency landing in Mauritania

August 26th, 2010 - 1:26 am ICT by BNO News  

NOUAKCHOTT, MAURITANIA (BNO NEWS) – A British passenger plane en-route to London was forced to land at Nouakchott International Airport in Mauritania on Tuesday, the airline said on Wednesday.

British Midland Airways (BMI) flight BD968 departed Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, en-route to London Heathrow on Tuesday and was forced to land in Mauritania “in accordance with aircraft manufacturer’s guidelines,” the airline said.

BMI did not say why the Boeing 757-200 was forced to land, but said press reports of a fire in the engine were not accurate. “The aircraft landed as normal and passengers and crew disembarked safely,” a spokesperson said. “An alternative bmi flight is scheduled to arrive at Nouakchott International Airport today at approximately 1815 GMT.”

The spokesperson said the flight will depart Nouakchott International Airport at 1915 GMT and will arrive at London Heathrow at around 0030 GMT on Thursday. “Passengers and crew are currently in hotel accommodation,” the airline said. “The safety of bmi passengers and crew is our number one priority.”

There were 95 passengers onboard the flight and 7 crew.

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