Flight from Manchester to London ended up in Budapest because of Storm Isha
Spare a thought for passengers ending up in all corners of Europe.
Spare a thought for people whose flights are being diverted to all corners of Europe amid the extreme weather brought by Storm Isha.
A Ryanair plane travelling from Manchester to Stansted made one attempt to land in London, but was then reportedly diverted to Budapest.
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What was supposed to be a 37-minute journey turned into almost three as the jet landed 1,000 away.
Amid the dangerous gales that reached 90mph on Sunday afternoon, pilots have been abandoning their original destinations and making drastic decisions about which country to land in.
A Ryanair flight from Manchester to Dublin that was also diverted – all the way to Paris.
After much trouble, pilots finally landed at Paris Beauvais-Tille Airport, just before 5.30pm.
Another flight from Manchester to Dublin was diverted to Liverpool – after more than three hours in the air and multiple attempts to reach its destination.
Dublin International Airport had already issued a public warning about possible flight cancellations, delays and a stream of aborted landings.
Two hours later, at 7.30pm on Sunday, one passenger on board the Ryanair flight said those on board were still stuck on the runway in Paris.
Journalist Nicola Bardon, who was among those on board, said the situation was a ‘nightmare’ and that that passengers remained sat in their seats for hours after landing.
‘We were already delayed leaving Manchester,’ she said. ‘We got to Dublin and were over the runway, and then the next thing, we were back in the sky.
‘We attempted [to land] again and then the pilot made an announcement that Dublin was too windy and that Manchester was full, so we were going to the East Midlands.
‘About 20 minutes later, we were updated to say the UK airports were not an option and that they had made the decision to go to Paris Beauvais.
‘There was a big laugh from the passengers when the pilot informed us we are going to Paris initially.
‘One person yelled “Welcome to Pari, would prefer to be in Kerry”. We have now been on the runway for over two hours with no information since just after we landed.
‘It’s a nightmare. Phones are dead, they have run out of food and drinks and we are facing another 90 minutes on the runway and there is still chance of another diversion.
‘It’s nearly 9pm in France and everyone has been on good form for most of the drama, but we are tired now.’
This was not an isolated incident – multiple other flights were forced to divert all over the country amid the turbulent winds.
A plane travelling from the Egyptian city of Sharm El Sheikh to Glasgow Airport declared an emergency due to Storm Isha.
A spokesperson for Glasgow Airport said the TUI flight was ‘diverted to Manchester due to current weather conditions’.
National Air Traffic Services said: ‘Due to adverse weather conditions across the UK, temporary air traffic restrictions are in place. Restrictions of this sort are only every applied to maintain safety.
‘Our teams are working closely with airports and airlines to minimise disruption. Passengers should check the status of their flight with their airline.’
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