A Jet2 flight has declared a mid-air emergency, forcing it to divert after taking off from this morning.

The plane was bound for Rome, , and had taken off from when a 7700 squawk alert was issued, signalling an onboard emergency.

Around one hour and 30 minutes into flight LS135, which departed from Glasgow at 7:07am, pilots declared the emergency. The 737-800 then made a U-turn over and headed back to the UK, this time to . The airline is yet to release any details on the nature of the emergency.

The plane was later said to have landed at Stansted Airport at around 9am. A passenger stuck on the grounded flight told the Scottish Sun that the diversion was a result of "the fuel gauge apparently showing fuel levels way lower than expected".

The traveller added: "Fire truck checked us out when we landed and no sign of any leaking fuel. We are still on the runway. Captain now saying there’s another available plane here and they’re going to try to move us across that one."

Jet2 also reportedly texted customers onboard the plane about the emergency. The message read: "We are sorry that due to unforeseen operational reasons your flight has diverted to London Stansted. We are doing everything we can to have you on your way as soon as possible.

"Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding during this time. We will provide a further update shortly."

A Jet2 spokesperson said: “We can confirm that flight LS135 from Glasgow to Rome followed standard operating procedure and diverted to London Stansted this morning (Monday 20th January), due to a minor fault indication. The aircraft landed safely, and customers will be transferred onto a replacement aircraft to continue their journey.”

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