GLASGOW passengers faced a frightening start to their holidays after their plane declared an emergency in the air.

The Jet 2 flight was forced to turn back to Glasgow Airport after suffering a "pitch control issue" that affects the plane's ability to fly.

Flight  LS189 departed for Palma, Majorca, at 7.53am but turned back around minutes later.

READ MORE: Emergency landing airline leaves furious passengers stranded

The plane, which had 194 passengers and five infants on board, landed safely at 8.30am and was met by fire crews.

It was held on the runway for checks before being towed back to the stand.

A spokeswoman for Jet2.com said: "A Jet2.com flight from Glasgow to Palma reported a small technical fault and was diverted back to base as a precautionary measure.

"The aircraft has landed safely and passengers will shortly be transferred onto a replacement aircraft.

"We apologise for the delay to the start of our customers' holidays but their safety is our absolute priority."

Two other flights had to be diverted while the runway was closed.

A British Airways flight from Heathrow was diverted to Edinburgh while an Easyjet flight from Belfast was diverted to Prestwick.

A spokesman for Glasgow Airport said a replacement aircraft will operate the flight, with an estimated departure time of 11.25am.