A Ryanair flight from Dublin to Bristol was diverted more than 900 miles to Alicante in Spain after Storm Boelo prevented the aircraft from landing, in one of several flight diversions caused by the storm across the UK.
Flight FR2955 Forced to Abandon Landing
Flight FR2955 departed Dublin Airport at approximately 10pm on Saturday, October 24, expecting to cross the Irish Sea to Bristol. Yet as the aircraft started its descent towards the English city, the attempted landing was abandoned, reports the Mirror.
The plane was instead diverted to Alicante-Elche Airport in southern Spain, roughly 910 miles away from where it was supposed to land. The aircraft had been flying at around 27,000ft before commencing its descent as it neared Bristol.
Holding Pattern and Diversion South
However, it was reportedly placed in a holding pattern while still above 20,000ft. It then returned to cruising altitude and headed south as air traffic control considered potential alternative landing sites, Airlive reported.
Flight-tracking data revealed the plane performing a U-turn before the decision was taken to divert to Spain. The aircraft then touched down safely on Runway 10 at Alicante at approximately 2.15am local time on Sunday morning, nearly three hours after departing Dublin.
Earlier Difficulties and Other Diversions
The Mirror reports that the aircraft is believed to have encountered difficulties earlier in the day. It allegedly travelled from Alicante to Newquay on Saturday, but was unable to land in Cornwall, diverting instead to Dublin.
Having reached Ireland, the aircraft then attempted to continue to Bristol, at which point it was diverted. The Mirror has contacted Ryanair for comment.
Flight FR2955 was not the only flight to be diverted over the weekend. A second Ryanair aircraft bound for Edinburgh was also forced to divert due to powerful winds.
Flight FR7644 had been en route from Faro in Portugal to the Scottish capital but was prevented from landing owing to adverse weather conditions. The plane was subsequently redirected to Oslo in Norway, approximately 600 miles from Edinburgh.
