Passengers onboard a flight that was seen 'tilting' in strong winds before being forced to divert to Birmingham have spoken of the 'dramatic' moments they were forced to abort a landing at Manchester.
Travellers on the Jet2 flight LS892 from Lanzarote to Manchester on Tuesday (April 11) described the 'scary' final 30 minutes of their journey as the pilot performed a 'go-around' in heavy winds before diverting to Birmingham. A 'go-around' is an aborted landing of an aircraft that is on final approach or has already touched down.
READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community
Jennifer Pardoe, 41, was travelling back to Manchester Airport after a ten-day holiday in Lanzarote with her partner and three-year-old daughter. She said the flight felt 'like a rollercoaster', with several people 'unwell' and young children 'upset' over the turbulence.
"It was a bit scary," she told the Manchester Evening News. "We are all used to having a little bit of turbulence on a plane, and we were told there would be a bit of bad weather getting close to Manchester. It seemed normal, I remember the pilot telling us we were about 30 minutes away. We were coming through the clouds, and we could see the airport.
"Then suddenly we heard the engine kick in and felt a big drop. It was dramatic."
Jennifer, who lives in Carnforth, said everyone went 'quiet' and 'even the cabin crew looked a bit unnerved', but the pilot kept them updated the whole way.
"The pilot was very good," she said. "He explained and said we had to abort the landing and we had to go to Birmingham. That wasn't a very nice 20 minutes. I think we were all worried about the landing in Birmingham because that wasn't easy either.
"It was a bit scary when the plane suddenly pulled up. It was a bit like a rollercoaster. My daughter loves flying, but she went quiet. It was a big relief to get to Birmingham!"
She said the passengers all gave 'a round of applause' when the plane landed successfully, and said the cabin crew did 'a very good job'.
In a Manchester Airport Facebook group on Tuesday evening, one user shared a screenshot of the plane's flight path, writing: "Did anybody just witness this aircraft over Stockport? I thought it was falling from the sky."
Sharing a picture of the aircraft flying low over south Manchester, one person wrote: "Winds really strong. I live on Shadow Moss and they've been getting knocked around all afternoon." Another commented: "Yes me too, I watched it. Was tilting left very bad."
Another added: "It’s gone around heading south, very strong winds tonight."
A second flight from Gran Canaria to Manchester Airport was also forced to abandon its landing at Manchester Airport due to the weather conditions, lowering to around 1,000 ft before circling multiple times over parts of Bolton and Lancashire.
It then diverted to Newcaste Airport, where it landed shortly before 8pm.
Jet2 confirmed that both flights had been diverted due to the weather conditions and that passengers would receive transport on a coach back to Manchester.
READ NEXT:
