Terrified passengers ‘screamed and prayed’ when a plane had to abort a landing at Manchester Airport during Storm Eunice.
The skilled pilot tried twice to land the flight from Morocco during high winds and torrential rain but had to ascend and divert the plane to Glasgow.
One passenger, from Bolton, has praised the pilot’s skill - but criticised airline TUI after shell-shocked passengers were left waiting outside in the snow for replacement coaches back to Manchester.
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He says: “I just don’t understand why they were willing to take the risk and fly when there was a red weather warning.
“We were all shaken up. Lots of people said they would be avoiding flying from now on.
“There were kids crying and that was so sad to see. They will be traumatised.
“Personally, I was petrified.”
Manchester Airport reported dozens of cancelled flights - 46 in total both outbound and inbound on Friday - but said the bulk were 'preemptive'.
The passenger on the flight from Morocco - who asked not to be named - says several fellow travellers vomited in the aisles when they were thrown “up, down and side to side” during ‘horrendous’ turbulence on Friday afternoon (February 18).
“We were supposed to leave at 12:05pm but left almost an hour late without any announcements,” he says.
“When we got on the plane, people were sceptical as there was clearly a rare red warning in place for the weather. TUI still decided to go ahead with the flight.”
Flight BY669 was due to leave Marrakesh Airport at 12.05pm but left at 1.09pm.
It was due to arrive at Manchester Airport just before 3pm - however passengers were taken instead to Glasgow due to the weather conditions in Manchester.
“Before we departed, the pilot mentioned the delay had been caused by winds and severe weather elsewhere,” the passenger said.
“He also mentioned that there were severe weather warnings ahead and that we should try to keep our belts on at all times due to turbulence.
“He said the south east and south Wales had been affected but said Manchester was still okay.
“Approaching Manchester Airport we were told to brace ourselves for high winds and gusts. People were getting nervous and it went quiet because people were really scared.
“The turbulence from the wind was horrendous. People were panicking and screaming.
“It’s the worst flight I have ever been on and everyone said the same thing.
“I heard one child asking their parents ‘are we going to die’ and that really brought things home.
“The pilot decided to give in, and ascended the plane to higher altitude. For a few seconds, we all caught our breath.
“Then the second descent started. Everyone knew what to expect and it was ten times worse. I could see people going up and down in their seats.
“Kids and adults were vomiting. People were having panic attacks. Strangers were holding hands and families leant over to hold hands across the aisle. People were praying. It was just a horrible experience.”
The Boltonian claims that no sick bags had been provided by the airline, so people had to use duty free bags, or were sick on the floor.
“Everyone was helping each other,” he says. “Sharing tissues, sweets, talking to each other and helping each other through.”
After struggling to land, passengers were told the plane was being diverted and it landed at safely Glasgow Airport at around 5.30pm.
“Everyone gave a round of applause to the pilot when we finally landed,” he says.
The passenger claims TUI staff were ‘ill prepared’ for the diversion and passengers were initially told four coaches were waiting to take them to Manchester.
“One arrived and we were told the others weren’t coming, so we’d have to get taxis,” he says.
“We got moved to another side of the airport. There were kids, frail people in wheelchairs and elderly people all standing outside in the cold.
“One woman asked a member of staff if we could wait inside and was told ‘don’t you think I’m cold too?’.”
He claims that no bottles of water, food vouchers or blankets were offered to customers as they waited.
After almost three hours, the passenger says a friendly taxi driver picked them up and set off in difficult weather conditions to take him and his wife back to Manchester Airport.
After almost three hours, the passenger says a friendly taxi driver picked them up and set off in difficult weather conditions to take him and his wife back to Manchester Airport.
They picked up their car from the airport and arrived back home in Bolton at around 1am.
He has questioned why the flight went ahead despite such severe weather warnings, why there appeared to be no sick bags on the plane, and why passengers were asked to wait outside Glasgow Airport in the snow for alternative transport back to Manchester.
A TUI spokeswoman said: "We’re aware that due to Storm Eunice TUI Airways TOM669 from Marrakech to Manchester was diverted to Glasgow, as the safety of our and crew is our number one priority. Our crew offered support onboard, and all passengers were safely disembarked.
"Unfortunately, due to the unplanned diversion there was a shortage of vehicles available for the transfer back to Manchester.
"We would like to apologise to those customers affected and thank them for their patience and understanding."
