A Ryanair flight from Manchester to Nantes was diverted to Tours Val de Loire Airport on Wednesday afternoon, leaving passengers stranded for hours with no information from the airline. The flight, which took off late from Manchester, circled Nantes for around 30 minutes before diverting due to weather conditions.
Passengers left in the dark
Passengers reported being left without assistance from Ryanair representatives at Tours airport. Sharon Norton, who travelled with her husband, said they were 'desperately' trying to get updates but no Ryanair rep helped them. 'We left 35 minutes late, got near Nantes and then circled for half an hour,' she said. 'Then we got told we were getting diverted to Tours airport. We arrived there, there was roughly 170 people, including disabled people and children. We were there from 3.15 until 8.45pm.'
Ryanair later sent a message saying coaches were being arranged to take passengers back to Nantes, arriving hours later than scheduled. Norton was able to reach a pre-booked apartment, but others faced difficulties.
Financial losses and lack of accommodation
Many passengers lost money on accommodation and hire cars. Alex Logen, another traveller, had arranged a hire car in Nantes but the kiosk was closed by the time they arrived. He said all hotels in Nantes appeared booked, leaving them facing a night of 'rough sleeping.' 'We have nowhere to stay tonight as we had another 100 miles to go,' he said. 'By the time we get there, the hire car kiosk will be closed. As it stands, [we will be] rough sleeping. All the hotels are booked in Nantes.'
Sharon Norton criticised the lack of communication: 'There were no vouchers and no other communication. People have lost money, accommodation and hire cars, it's disgusting. Before we left, the pilot said the weather was the same in Nantes, but after we got near he said it was unsafe to land.'
Flight path details
According to FlightRadar, the aircraft travelled south from Manchester over the English Channel, circled multiple times over Nantes, and then diverted to Tours, which is about two hours away by road. The Mirror has contacted Ryanair for comment.
