A FULL-SCALE alert was in place at East Midlands Airport after a Boeing 737 declared an emergency at 19,000 feet.
The Jet 2 plane was headed for Greece and took off at 5.40pm.
But a problem with the aircraft resulted in the journey being halted.
For over an hour, it circled above the East Midlands before descending gradually.
Air traffic controllers then told the pilot to divert the plane to Manchester Airport, where a safe landing was performed just before 7pm.
Speaking after the Boeing 737 Jet2 plane declared an emergency, an official for the airline said a "minor" problem meant the plane was being brought back to ground.
The official said: "Flight LS625 is being diverted to Manchester Airport due to a minor issue.
"Once landed, passengers will disembark and board an aircraft which is waiting to take them onwards to their destination in Greece.
"We apologise to our customers for any inconvenience caused."
It is not the first time a Boeing 737 jet has reported a fault soon after taking off from East Midlands Airport in recent weeks.
On June 7, fire crews were called to the Castle Donington airport when a jet reported a fault with its braking and tyre mechanism.
The incoming aircraft landed safely.
Three fire crews were sent but were not needed and turned around before they reached the airfield.
A number of flights were delayed due to the incident.
BREAKING EMERGENCY Boeing 737 Jet2 flight #LS625 all safe on board.
— AirLiveNet (@airlivenet) July 4, 2014BREAKING EMERGENCY Boeing 737 Jet2 flight #LS625 has landed ! on @manairport
— AirLiveNet (@airlivenet) July 4, 2014BREAKING EMERGENCY Boeing 737 Jet2 flight #LS625 could have burned fuel to loose maximum weight before landing in case of gear issue.
— AirLiveNet (@airlivenet) July 4, 2014BREAKING Boeing 737 Jet2 flight #LS625 from East Midlands to Heraklion is declaring an emergency and circling at 19,000 feet.
— AirLiveNet (@airlivenet) July 4, 2014