A diverted flight led the temporary closure of the Causeway yesterday afternoon out of “an abundance of caution”.

Airport General Manager Aaron Adderley said Airport Operations received confirmation that the flight, which was en route from New York to Santo Domingo, was declaring an emergency at around 2.45pm due to “an avionics indication of smoke” in the flight deck.

“The Flight Crew confirmed that there was no visible signs of smoke at the time it declared an emergency, however, it was still seeking clearance to divert to Bermuda,” he said. “Emergency response vehicles were called out per the Airport’s Emergency Response Plan. The aircraft, an Airbus 320, landed without incident at 3.20pm with 183 persons on board.”

A Police spokesman said the Causeway was closed in advance of the landing out of an abundance of caution, as per standing operating procedures.

“Apparently a red light came on in the cockpit indicating smoke, however the pilot did not see or smell smoke but in the abundance of caution the plane was diverted to Bermuda,” the spokesman said.