Passengers on board a flight that had to make an emergency landing at Cork airport last night will continue their journey today. The chartered Boeing 737 aircraft en-route from Belfast to Spain was forced to divert after the pilot suspected a fuel leak.

Air Contractors - who were responsible for the flight - have confirmed that engineers have established that the problem was a faulty instrument in the cockpit.

149 people were on board the flight - which touched down at Cork Airport just after midnight and was attended to by emergency crews.

An airport spokesman said "We activated our emergency plan but the plane landed safely. The plane is grounded subject to inspection".

The scare was caused after the pilot on the flight from Belfast to Reús reported that it was leaking fuel and sought permission to land.

Unconfirmed reports suggest the plane circled Cork three times as emergency services rushed to the tarmac.

However, the pilot managed to land safely and all passengers and crew were safely evacuated and accommodated in the city overnight.

These people who were on board told RedFM they are relieved that their ordeal is over.

Head of Communications at Cork Airport Kevin Cullinane told RedFM that following an inspection, no fuel was found on the runway.