Police closed the motorway in both directions near East Midlands Airport to allow "a clear flight path" for the plane, which landed safely on Saturday.
Traffic was stopped between J23a and J24 at 21:30 GMT for about 20 minutes.
East Midlands Airport said the closure was "precautionary" after a Jet2 flight with 153 people on board alerted them to a suspected malfunction.
A spokeswoman for Jet2 said flight number LS670 called for assistance on its approach to the airport after the pilot noticed a "fault indication".
She said the flight landed safely before being inspected.
Highways England, which manages the motorway, tweeted to alert motorists to the "aircraft emergency" and motorway closure.
In 1989 a Belfast-bound British Midland flight crashed on the M1 near Kegworth, Leicestershire, killing 47 people, as it diverted to East Midlands Airport.
A section of the M1 was closed due to an "aircraft emergency" on a flight from Gran Canaria.