A Heathrow Airport runway was blocked this morning with planes stopped from taking off as an aircraft was towed from the taxiway.
At least five flights approaching Heathrow were forced to land at alternative airports.
The BBC's Helena Wilkinson tweeted: "At Heathrow airport - my flight delayed - reading reports take-offs have been halted ... not sure if accurate but don’t know what’s going on."
Felicity Baker replied: "My parents have just landed at Heathrow and Public Health England aren’t allowing them to get off the plane".
However, the Mirror understands the disruption was a technical issue and 'not related to Public Health England or coronavirus'.
Aviation enthusiasts said one flight BA188 had circled the airport twice instead of landing.
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United Airlines flight UA924 from Washington DC to Heathrow, that was held in the air, has declared an emergency due to low fuel levels.
It was diverted to land at Gatwick Airport instead.
Other diverted planes included four operated by British Airways.
Flights from Belfast City and Hamburg landed at Gatwick, while flights from Edinburgh and Brussels landed at Stansted.
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “For a matter of minutes one of the runways was out of service as an aircraft was towed from the taxiway. Heathrow is now operating as normal.”
Yesterday it was reported a hotel near the airport was closed to the public as it was designated a coronavirus quarantine centre.
The Holiday Inn Heathrow Ariel hotel closed on Saturday with staff told it would not reopen for bookings until next month at the earliest.
Guests booked at the three-star hotel, which is operated under franchise from the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), have been transferred to sister hotels.
A spokesman for the IHG group told The Independent the hotel had been “block booked” and he could not comment further.
