A Ryanair flight that took off from Manchester on Sunday was diverted from Dublin to Paris as Storm Isha hit the UK over the weekend.
It came after the Met Office, the UK’s national weather service, issued an amber warning of gusts hitting 60-70mph inland, and 70-80mph on the coasts, on Sunday evening across most parts of the country.
⚠️ Weather warnings for #StormIsha have been updated ⚠️
Latest info 👉https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs
Here are the latest details 👇 pic.twitter.com/bMRIkFZR9r
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 21, 2024
The flight was scheduled to depart Manchester Airport at 13:25 GMT but finally took off at 15:00. The aircraft was put on hold at 8,000ft by air traffic control at 15:40 due to strong winds.
After 30 minutes in holding pattern, the crew attempted to land at 16:18 without success. As the situation was getting worse, the crew didn’t have other choice than to divert, Air Live reported.
According to data from Flight Radar, several planes due to land at London Gatwick also had to be diverted due to the weather.
Journalist Nicola Bardon, who was a passenger onboard, told the Manchester Evening News: “We were already delayed leaving Manchester. 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 of Paris initially. One person yelled ‘Welcome to Pari, would prefer to be in Kerry’.”
Some examples of yesterday's diversions because of #StormIsha #FR555 MAN->DUB to BVA#FR3598 SNN->EDI to CGN#RK9817 STN->EDI to SNN#FR5911 ACE->DUB to BOD pic.twitter.com/BgtBx3hTEL
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) January 22, 2024
One X (formerly Twitter) user wrote: “Spare a thought for anyone on this Ryanair flight from Manchester to Dublin that has been diverted to Paris because of the weather.”
The aircraft eventually landed in Paris at 19:45. It took off again at 23:30.
Image credit: @cristianstorto/AdobeStock
