The nose gear of an Aer Lingus ATR 72-600 collapsed during a landing amid strong wind gusts. A spokesperson for Belfast City Airport confirmed, "no passengers were on the aircraft which had come from Edinburgh when the incident happened. This was a positioning flight with no passengers but four crew members onboard."
Aer Lingus, Ireland's national airline, operates from its headquarters at Dublin Airport. Established in 1936, it is Ireland's oldest airline and plays a significant role in transatlantic and European travel. The airline is a subsidiary of the International Airlines Group (IAG), which also includes British Airways, Iberia, Vueling, and LEVEL.
Aer Lingus serves as a vital connection between Europe and North America, using Dublin Airport as a hub for U.S. preclearance facilities that allow passengers to clear U.S. customs and immigration before arriving in the United States.