The emergency incident unfolded at around 4pm on Sunday (22 December) when an Emerald Airlines-operated Aer Lingus flight from Edinburgh came in to land.
The aircraft, a 72-passenger ATR 72-600 turboprop, experienced a hard landing resulting in the nose wheel collapsing sending the aircraft skidding along the runway on its nose.
Images from the scene published by several national news outlets show the aircraft stooped on its nose with no sight of the nose wheel itself.
No passengers were onboard and the four crew escaped unhurt, although the incident resulted in a number of cancellations owing to the runway closure. In total, nearly 40 flights were affected.
Belfast City airport wrote on social media: "At around 4pm today, Sunday 22 December, a flight operated by Emerald Airlines had an incident on landing at Belfast City airport.
"This was a positioning fight with no passengers but four crew members onboard. The airport’s emergency procedures were enacted.
"The runway is currently closed and will be for the rest of the day. Passengers are asked to contact their airline."
The airport on Monday (23 December) confirmed the runway had reopened and was operating as normal.
’Hard landing’
Passengers impacted by the disruption on Sunday, or who are due to fly on Monday (23 December), have been told to check the status of their flight before travelling to the airport.
Carriers operating at Belfast City include Aer Lingus, British Airways, easyJet and KLM. Some inbound flights were diverted to Belfast International airport and also Dublin airport.
The Air Accident Investigation Branch has launched an investigation and sent a team of inspectors to the scene.
Emerald Airlines said the aircraft experienced "a hard landing" upon arrival into Belfast City airport owing to "adverse weather conditions".
