LARNACA - An Aeroflot jet veered off the runway at Larnaca airport Monday after a tyre burst on landing.
An airport spokesman stated that a small explosion occurred on one of the wheels as the Aeroflot flight SU 2070 touched down.
“At 8.27 this morning during the landing of a plane from Russia, a small explosion occurred at the area where the central landing wheels are located”, Hermes Larnaca airport spokesman Adamos Aspris told Associated Press. “As a result, the plane went off course from the landing runway and came to a standstill on the nearby taxiway. The aircraft was carrying a total of 287 passengers and crew.”
He added: “The emergency services were mobilised but there were no further incidents and nobody required medical attention.”
The Ilyushin Il-96 four-engine plane was arriving from Moscow after a four-hour flight.
According to Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) figures, the island is expecting a 50% increase in Russian tourism this year. In 2011, around 334,000 Russian holiday makers visited Cyprus.