TUI plane forced into emergency landing at Manchester Airport after departing Newcastle for Cape Verde

A Boeing 737 aircraft has been forced into an emergency landing at Manchester Airport. The TUI plane took off from Newcastle and was near France when it needed to turn back. 

The plane reportedly experienced technical issues with its de-icing equipment. It landed at Manchester Airport due to it being a maintenance base for TUI. 

The aircraft was on its way to Espargos in Cape Verde when the crew discovered the issue. According to Flight Radar, the aircraft was diverted to Manchester and is not due to depart for Cape Verde until around 8pm tonight. 

The usual flight time from Newcastle to Espargos is around six hours. One flight a week departs the North East airport for the African nation. 

A TUI spokesperson said: "We’d like to apologise to customers on TOM800 from Newcastle to Sal, Cape Verde who were required to divert to Manchester to change planes due to a minor technical issue. Our goal is to ensure our customers have the best possible flight experience, so this is not way we wanted their holiday to start.

"We have offered them a gesture of goodwill in light of this disruption to the start of their holiday and thank them for their patience and understanding. The flight departed Manchester for Sal, Cape Verde at 2.30pm today."