A Ryanair flight travelling from Dublin to Bristol was diverted to Alicante-Elche Airport in southern Spain on Saturday night after Storm Boelo brought severe winds across the UK. The aircraft, flight FR2955, ended up around 910 miles from its intended destination, leaving passengers nearly 1,000 miles from Bristol.
Flight path and diversion details
The flight departed Dublin Airport at around 10pm on Saturday, October 24, for a short-haul journey across the Irish Sea. As the aircraft began its descent towards Bristol, the attempted landing was aborted and the plane was diverted to Spain.
The aircraft had been cruising at an altitude of 27,000ft before beginning its descent. It is understood the plane was still above 20,000ft when strong winds prompted the decision to place it in a holding pattern. In an unusual turn of events, the aircraft returned to cruising altitude and headed south as air traffic control considered alternative airports, reported Airlive.
Earlier weather disruption
The Ryanair aircraft landed safely on Runway 10 at Alicante at 2.15am local time on Sunday, almost three hours after departing Dublin. The journey would normally take less than an hour. Flight-tracking data showed the plane making a U-turn before the decision was reportedly taken to divert to Spain.
It appears the aircraft had already faced difficulties earlier in the day. The plane had reportedly travelled from Alicante to Newquay on Saturday but was unable to land because of weather conditions in Cornwall, resulting in a diversion to Dublin. After reaching Ireland, the aircraft then attempted to fly to Bristol, but with strong winds continuing to affect the UK, it was reportedly unable to land there either, prompting the decision to return to Alicante.
Impact on other flights
The diversion meant the aircraft was back in position to begin its scheduled route the following day. Meanwhile, another Ryanair flight bound for Edinburgh was diverted overseas on Saturday as strong winds disrupted air travel. Flight FR7644 had been travelling from Faro in Portugal to the Scottish capital but was unable to land because of the weather. Instead, the aircraft was diverted to Oslo in Norway, around 600 miles from Edinburgh.
The Mirror has contacted Ryanair for comment.
