The nose gear of an Aer Lingus ATR72-600 has collapsed during a hard landing in strong gusts of wind.

A spokesperson for Belfast City Airport said, "no passengers were on the aircraft which had come from Edinburgh when the incident happened. This was a positioning fight with no passengers but four crew members onboard."

Aer Lingus Overview

Aer Lingus is the national airline of Ireland, headquartered at Dublin Airport (DUB). Established in 1936, it is Ireland's oldest airline and a key player in transatlantic and European travel. The airline operates as a subsidiary of the International Airlines Group (IAG), which also owns British Airways, Iberia, Vueling, and LEVEL.

The airline emphasizes its position as a key link between Europe and North America, leveraging Dublin Airport as a hub for U.S. preclearance facilities, which allow passengers to clear U.S. customs and immigration before landing in the United States.

Aer Lingus is a member of the IAG group but is not part of the Oneworld alliance. However, it has codeshare agreements with several airlines, including members of Oneworld, Star Alliance, and independent carriers, to expand its connectivity..