Irish jet held in France after tyres explode

A RYANAIR Boeing 737 was held overnight in southern France after its tyres exploded during landing.

Regretting any inconvenience to its customers, Ryanair said passengers due to travel on a return flight after Thursday’s incident were accommodated through a flight from nearby Perpignan airport.

The jetliner landed at the Carcassonne-Salvaza airport on Thursday after flying from Belgium. Its four tyres exploded on impact.

None of the 124 people on board were injured, airport Vice President Alfred Rispoli said.

The plane, which was flying in from Charleroi in Belgium, came to a halt without damage to its undercarriage. But it was unable to reach the hangar and the passengers had to disembark on a mobile footbridge.

The plane was held for about 24 hours. It left for Dublin today with new tyres and two Ryanair engineers aboard, Rispoli said.

The cause of the incident was still unknown, but investigators believe a rough, uneven landing may have put too much pressure on one tyre, causing it to explode, Rispoli said. The three other tyres might have given way under the extra weight, he said.

Officials shut down the airport for about 16 hours while an aviation investigator spoke to the pilot and crew, and teams searched the runway but found no ‘‘foreign object’’ on the plane’s path, Rispoli said.