Passengers onboard a flight to Manchester have spoken out on the ‘dramatic’ moments they were forced to divert to Birmingham after the plane was 'tilting' in strong winds.
People on the Jet2 flight LS892 from Lanzarote to Manchester on April 11 have shared how the last 30 minutes of the flight was ‘scary’ as the pilot did 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.
41-year-old Jennifer Pardoe, was travelling back to Manchester Airport with her partner and three-year-old daughter after a ten-day holiday in Lanzarote. Speaking to Manchester Evening News, she described the flight 'like a rollercoaster'.
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"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."
The mum, who lives in Carnforth, Lancaster, said all the passengers went ‘quiet’ and 'even the cabin crew looked a bit unnerved', however the pilot kept everyone updated the whole time.
She continued: "The pilot was very good. 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!"
After the plane landed in Birmingham successfully, Jennifer said all the passengers gave 'a round of applause'.
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."
Another flight from Gran Canaria to Manchester Airport also had to abandon its landing in Manchester after the bad weather conditions. It lowered to around 1,000 ft before circling multiple times over parts of Bolton and Lancashire.
It then diverted to Newcastle 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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