A TUI flight bound for Manchester was forced to make an emergency diversion as its fuel ran low. The incident happened as flight BY439 from Aristides Pereira International Airport in Cape Verde was abruptly told to join a holding pattern over Manchester Airport before landing.
This was due to a person "encroaching" onto the airfield at Manchester Airport on Friday night. Greater Manchester Police confirmed a 17-year-old has been detained under the Mental Health Act and enquiries remain ongoing, Manchester Evening News reports.
Holding pattern over the Peak District
The Boeing 737 MAX, which can accommodate up to 230 passengers, was told by Air Traffic Control to join the holding pattern while making its final approach as a result of the security breach. At least 17 flights were held above the airport while the incident was being resolved, while seven flights were diverted to other airports.
Flight BY439 joined the holding pattern as instructed at 6,000ft over the Peak District but, after about 20 minutes of circling, its fuel started burning low. Air Live reports the aircraft then declared a general emergency by broadcasting squawk code 7700.
Emergency landing at East Midlands Airport
The 7700 squawk code is declared by pilots when an aircraft experiences an in-flight emergency that requires immediate priority handling and assistance from air traffic controllers. Such emergencies include mechanical failures, onboard safety threats, medical emergencies or unclear or escalating situations. The code acts as a silent "mayday" which prompts air traffic control to clear airspace and alert emergency services on the ground.
The plane was diverted to East Midlands Airport, landing there shortly after midnight on Saturday, due to strict fuel limits and uncertainty about the length of the airfield closure at Manchester. The aircraft was then refueled and took off again about an hour after landing. Manchester Airport re-opened to arrivals 15 minutes later. The flight from East Midlands Airport to Manchester Airport only took a brief 18 minutes and eventually landed at 1.35am on Saturday.
Passenger describes ordeal
Angela Slater described her experience of being on board the TUI flight from Cape Verde. She wrote on Facebook: "Our flight from Cape Verde was one affected. Had to divert to the East Midlands, refuel and then come back to Manchester."
"Should have landed around 11.30pm instead [it was] 1.30am-ish, got home at 3.30am. But the flight [crew and captain] were amazing, kept us informed as much as they could and did what they had to do in a crazy situation."
"We didn't have enough fuel to stay up in the air for an unguaranteed time. Think we did about 7 laps before diverting. Never ever seen so many planes up in the sky when actually been on a flight before." The arrested individual was taken to hospital from the scene.
