A Ryanair flight from Faro, Portugal, destined for Belfast International Airport had to make an emergency landing on Sunday morning.

The flight, which took off at 7:50 am, returned to Faro Airport about an hour later.

Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 showed that the flight circled above Faro Airport before successfully landing.

Ryanair released a statement indicating that the flight had to return to Faro Airport shortly after take-off due to a technical issue with the aircraft. The plane landed safely at Faro Airport but experienced a minor issue with one of its tires on the runway.

Passengers were able to disembark normally and return to the terminal. Ryanair swiftly arranged for a replacement aircraft, which departed for Belfast at 18:18 local time.

Several Portuguese news outlets reported that the emergency landing was prompted by an issue with one of the aircraft's tires, causing a "red alert" at Faro Airport. SIC Notícias, a news website, stated that the emergency landing was due to a tire burst. Before landing, the plane had to release fuel while circling in the air.