An easyJet flight from Manchester to Reykjavik was forced to divert to Edinburgh on Sunday evening after adverse weather conditions affected visibility at its destination. The airline confirmed that flight U22261 departed Manchester Airport at 5:45pm and had been scheduled to land in the Icelandic capital at 6:40pm, but instead touched down in Edinburgh at approximately 10:20pm.
According to easyJet, the diversion was necessary because of low visibility at Keflavik Airport, Iceland's main international hub. Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24 indicated that the aircraft was re-routed while approaching the airport due to the weather conditions.
Passengers were offered an apology by the airline, which said a replacement flight had been arranged for the following day. EasyJet stated that safety was its highest priority and described the disruption as being outside of its control, adding that affected customers were provided with hotel accommodation and meals.
In a separate incident, a Ryanair flight from Birmingham to Tenerife was forced to return to the UK after declaring a mid-air emergency. The airline confirmed that flight FR1121 encountered air turbulence after departing Birmingham Airport at around 2:50pm, with a 7700 squawk code issued over Brittany, France, while the aircraft was cruising at 35,000 feet. The plane landed safely back at Birmingham about one hour and 32 minutes after takeoff, where some passengers received medical assistance. The flight later departed for Tenerife at 9:06pm local time.
