Ryanair passengers heading to Devon instead found themselves in Birmingham after a "problem with the aircraft". Their plane left Faro in Portugal yesterday evening (July 22) and was heading to Exeter Airport, but suddenly changed course.
Flight details
The Ryanair flight FR8030 was scheduled to land at 6.55pm but was diverted to Birmingham. Passenger Davina said the pilot "made an announcement we were landing in five minutes" before the plane ascended and circled a few times, DevonLive reports.
Davina continued: "Then an announcement was made that due to a problem with the aircraft, we needed a longer runway and we were being diverted to Birmingham."
Emergency response
"The pilot and cabin crew were very professional and helpful, but tensions were very high". The cause of the diversion is not known, but a flight spotters group on social media suggest there was a squawked 7700 alert - a distress signal that communicates an emergency situation to air traffic controllers.
Flight trackers show the plane flew over Exeter, circled, then continued north to Birmingham, where it landed. As the plane touched down, blue-light landing-precaution vehicles immediately followed. Pictures taken in Birmingham show crews on the runway inspecting the plane's wing.
Passenger travel
DevonLive understands that Ryanair organised coaches picked up passengers from Birmingham and took them to Exeter. In a statement to passengers, Ryanair said it was "forced to divert [the] flight to Birmingham" but did not confirm the cause of the diversion. Ryanair and Exeter Airport have been contacted for comment.
