Emirates A380 suffers fire while landing just days after restarting flights to Birmingham Airport

An Emirates A380 was engulfed in smoke when it suffered a fire while landing just days after restarting flights to Birmingham Airport.

The double-decker jet was arriving from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates when the landing gear experienced a technical problem on Tuesday, July 4.

Shocked passengers said they saw smoke and a 'small fire' before the aircraft 'ground to a halt' on the runway as fire trucks raced over. Travellers were stuck onboard until 2 pm despite landing at around 12:30 pm.

Footage taken by plane spotter Abdullah Zain Masood shows the Airbus wobbling precariously from side-to-side as it touched down amid overcast skies.

Dr Gurraj Singh, from Birmingham, told local media that 'there was a bit of smoke and fire that was noticed' when the plane landed.

He added: ' When they landed the ground crew noticed and fire engines approached, they didn't let the plane go further, they stalled, surrounded it and checked for safety. We landed at 12.30 pm but at 1.30 pm, they gave us an update, just that it was a technical issue. Fire engines and ground safety crew were checking it.'

The pilot reportedly told passengers that the plane's engines had been switched off while they waited for clearance from airport controllers over the radio.

Passengers then had to leave the aircraft using 'physical ladders' while the ground crew looked 'stressed and anxious'.

Dr Singh added: 'I presumed it was something major.'

The incident came just days after the airline resumed its route to the West Midlands following the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Earlier footage showed Emirates flight EK039 landing at the overcast Birmingham Airport runway on July 1.

Richard Jewsbury, Emirates UK Divisional Vice President, told local media: 'We're excited to be bringing back our iconic A380 aircraft back to Birmingham. The return will make it easier to connect more passengers to popular, long-haul destinations including Thailand, Australia, and of course the vibrant city of Dubai for summer and beyond.

'As well as meeting increased customer demand, businesses across the region will be able to take full advantage of the cargo capacity. We're extremely proud of our partnership with Birmingham Airport and our ongoing commitment to the wider Midlands region. We look forward to welcoming customers back on board.'

The A380 is the world's only double-decker plane still in production following the demise of the Boeing 747 jumbo jet. However, the aircraft is at risk of being replaced with smaller more economically viable wide-body planes such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.