Manama: Bahrain airport runway had to be briefly closed on Thursday following a plane tyre burst. The incident was confirmed by Gulf Air, Bahrain’s major airline.

“Gulf Air confirms that flight GF 522 departing to Doha at 7.15 am on April 22 from Bahrain International Airport had to discontinue take-off due to a technical issue. As a consequence the aircraft’s tyres burst,” Gulf Air said. ”The aircraft, an A321 was carrying 51 passengers and seven crew. All passengers were disembarked safely as per normal procedures and transported to the terminal where they were transferred to another aircraft. The aircraft left for Doha at 9.50 am local time,” the airline said.

Normal operations have resumed after the runway was cleared.