By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 10:12 AM on 20th December 2011
A whippet who had escaped its owners forced a major airport runway to be closed, delaying flights while staff chased it across the tarmac.
Twelve flights were delayed and one passenger jet diverted 100 miles to find a landing spot after the dog strayed on to Manchester Airport's airfield.
The whippet escaped its owners while out for walkies nearby. Bolting past a guarded entrance, it fled into a cargo area at the international airport - the largest outside London.
Fast: With a top speed of 35mph, a whippet led Manchester Airport staff on a chase that left 12 flights delayed and one diverted 100 miles. (Library photo)
Frantic staff spent 40 minutes chasing the nimble hound across the the airfield, which has approximately the same area as Manchester City Centre.
Whippets boast a top speed of up to 35mph.
During the chase, airport chiefs took the decision to shut the runway for safety reasons, forcing 12 take-offs to be delayed and a Turkish Airlines jet to be diverted to Birmingham.
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A spokesman for the airport told MailOnline that the dog's owner had let it off the leash to put it into the car to go home when the animal bolted.
Gary Brown, the airport's duty manager, told the Manchester Evening News: 'It took some time to catch it. The airfield is obviously quite a big area.
'Because of the delay there was a build up of flights and we had to suspend a Turkish Airways flight from Istanbul. It was diverted to Birmingham, refuelled and has now made its way up here.
'Basically, if there is any lost animal on the runway, we have to stop all flights straight away.'
Shut down: The dog took 40 minutes to capture after it ran loose on the airfield at Manchester Airport - the busiest airport outside London
The whippet was eventually caught and returned to its owners.
It's the second time this year an escaped animal has sparked chaos at the airport.
A flamingo forced a runway to close in July after evading capture for five hours before flying off.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2076446/Beware-dog-Flights-delayed-airport-staff-try-catch-whippet-runway.html#ixzz1h5qIkRqV
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