The runway at London’s Gatwick Airport was closed on Friday after a British Airways flight was aborted on the tarmac.

An Emirates flight from Dubai was caught up in the chaos and diverted to Brussels after the incident with BA flight G-VIIT BA2279 for Vancouver, Canada.

Thousands of airline passengers on flights to and from Gatwick airport are suffering disruption after the runway was closed following a problem with the departing British Airways Boeing 777.

Gatwick said 23 flights were delayed on Friday afternoon.

A London Gatwick spokesperson said: “The main runway was closed for 50 minutes today due to a departing aircraft having hot brakes. Safety is our top priority and London Gatwick’s dedicated airport fire service swiftly attended to support the aircraft.

“Sixteen inbound flights were diverted during the closure. The runway is now open and operating as normal. Twenty-three flights were cancelled and there are a number of delays due to the knock-on impact.

“We are working with our airlines and other airport partners to minimise disruption. Passengers should contact their airlines directly for the latest flight information.”

Flight tracking website Flightradar24 said the plane had “rejected take-off”.

The website reported the closure of the runway at 12.53pm and stated at 1.14pm it had reopened.

Airport fire service vehicles escorted the aircraft as it was moved off the runway, flight tracking website Flightradar24 said.

A British Airways spokesperson said: “Our pilots took the precautionary decision to cancel take-off due to a technical issue.

“Safety is always our top priority and we apologise to customers for the inconvenience caused.”

Updated: June 28, 2024, 4:22 PM