A PLANE spent an hour circling above Kent to burn off fuel after a cockpit indicator light malfunctioned.

The EU Jet plane, carrying seven crew members, was on route to Kent International Airport at Manston from Gatwick when pilots discovered the glitch they though indicated that the landing gear was not locked down properly. It was later discovered that the gear was locked into place.

The crew eventually managed to fix the problem in the air and the plane, as Fokker 100, landed safely at around 2pm on Sunday.

Police closed roads around the airport and 13 Kent Fire and Rescue Service vehicles came from as far afield as Ashford and Strood to be on standby. They were joined by a number of ambulances ready to deal with any potential casualties.

Airport Director Alisrair Robertson said as with any aircraft-related problem, no matter how insignificant it may appear, safety considerations are paramount.

“With this in mind Kent International Airport declared a precautionary emergency situation, but in the event the assistance of the emergency services was not required.

“The aircraft’s crew, airport staff and external emergency services acted with the utmost professionalism to ensure that this minor incident concluded satisfactorily.

“Regrettably there were some unavoidable knock-on effects on scheduled flights due to the delayed arrival of the aircraft but these are now all ironed out and it is business as usual at Kent International Airport.

“We would like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding.”