The Southwest Airlines has said that passengers were never in danger when one of it’s planes made an emergency landing in Tampa on Tuesday.

The Tampa Tribune has reported that Southwest Airlines Flight 1016, with 141 people aboard, was diverted to Tampa International Airport because its landing gear got stuck in the down position after its takeoff from Fort Lauderdale.

Southwest spokesman Brad Hawkins has said that the Chicago-bound flight was diverted not because of safety concerns but because the landing gear created too much drag.

Hawkins also said, "With the aerodynamics of the flight being impacted, it was not efficient to continue on. This was not a safety-of-flight issue."

The Boeing 737 had left Fort Lauderdale at 7:45 a.m. and landed in Tampa just before 9:30 a.m. after circling to burn off fuel. Passengers boarded another plane to Chicago. (With Inputs from Agencies)