A Ryanair flight bound for Cornwall from Faro, Portugal, was forced to land 150 miles away from its intended destination after the pilot encountered an unexpected issue. Passengers heading home this morning found themselves over two hours away from Newquay after the aircraft diverted to Bristol instead.
Flight trackers revealed that the plane circled repeatedly over Newquay before eventually heading to Bristol. Ryanair has confirmed that the diversion was necessary due to thunderstorms at Newquay Airport. A spokesperson stated: 'This flight from Faro to Newquay Cornwall diverted to Bristol due to thunderstorms at Newquay Airport. To get passengers to their final destination as quickly as possible, we arranged for alternative transport from Bristol to Newquay.'
Parts of Cornwall experienced heavy rain and wind gusts of up to 33mph this morning, while Bristol enjoyed dry and sunny weather. The outbound 9.15am flight from Newquay to Faro was also delayed, taking off at 11.30am. Other flights, such as the Loganair service from the Isle of Man, landed without disruption.
The Met Office has warned of further unsettled weather in the South West, with potential thundery showers over the weekend. This incident follows a Jet2 flight from Leeds Bradford to Crete that made an emergency landing at Manchester Airport after a birdstrike shortly after take-off.
