Passengers aboard a flight in strong winds this week have spoken of the 'scary' final moments of their journey as a pilot was forced to abandon landing to divert around blustery winds. Planes this week have been seen tilting through heavy winds this week and the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning across large parts of the South West as Storm Noa blew across the region.
Footage captured by Aviation Hunters at Bristol Airport has demonstrated just how gusty weather conditions have been, with some planes having visible difficulties when attempting to land. Now, passengers on a flight in similar conditions have spoken about the 'dramatic' moment their flight from Lanzarote to Manchester was forced to divert to Birmingham after an aborted landing.
Travellers on the Jet2 flight LS892 on Tuesday, April 11 recalled the 'scary' moment their pilot performed a 'go-around' in strong winds before diverting. A 'go-around' is an aborted landing of a plane which is on the final approach, or has already touched down.
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Jennifer Pardoe, 41, told the Manchester Evening News the flight felt "like a rollercoaster". Jennifer was travelling back to Manchester Airport after a 10-day holiday in Lanzarote with her partner and three-year-old daughter.
Several people became "unwell" and children grew "upset" over the turbulence, she added. "It was a bit scary," she said.
"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 unnerved" but the pilot kept the worried passengers updated through the journey.
"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!"
Jennifer told the publication the travelers gave a round of applause when the plane landed successfully, saying the cabin crew did a "very good job". A spokesperson for Jet2 confirmed passengers would received coach transportation back to Manchester.
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.
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