A passenger on a Ryanair flight said the plane was close to running out of fuel after Storm Amy forced the aircraft to divert several times while attempting to land.
Flight FR3418 was aiming to land in Prestwick, Scotland, on Friday 3 October, when amber wind warnings caused by Storm Amy were put in place for north and west Scotland.
Departing the Italian city of Pisa for a flight that usually takes around two and a half hours, passengers did not their final destination until more than 10 hours later, after several landing attempts and a coach journey to South Ayrshire from Manchester where the flight eventually landed.
Passenger Alexander Marchi was on board the Ryanair flight that faced the strong storm winds.
He said that the disruption to their journey started even before they left Pisa due to a strike at the airport with protesters on the tarmac.
“We were worried that we wouldn't get to Prestwick before the storm hit,” he told the Ayr Advertiser.
After taking off just over an hour from the initial departure time, Mr Marchi said everything went smoothly until the plane started its descent into Prestwick.
“The plane was circling a few times before trying the first time, but pulling up almost immediately.
"We were told we would try one more time, or we'd have to go to Manchester. The second time, it was a very bumpy ride, and we almost reached the tarmac, but at the last minute, we pulled up very sharply,” he explained.
"Everyone was calm until the descent; we were being buffeted around a lot and jumping. There were a few worried people on the second descent as we could feel the plane was struggling.
"Then the pilot surprised us by saying he was going to attempt Edinburgh. This was just as bad, though, as the second time at Prestwick.”
As the plane flew over the Firth of Forth estuary near Edinburgh, the Boeing 737 again had to pull up again sharply after being very close to landing.
"People were very worried as the sound of the plane sharply pulling up was dramatic,” Mr Marchi said.
He claimed that the aircraft “finally landed at Manchester with almost no fuel”.
"There was a lot of relief. People were wanting to get off and definitely were not up for flying any time soon, but there was no panic.
"A few people had felt ill from the turbulence, but overall everyone was just in shock and the staff were brilliant,” the passenger added.
Simon Calder, travel correspondent of The Independent, says: “This shows aviation safety protocols working well. While it would have been frustrating and possibly worrying for passengers, there was never any danger.
“In terms of passengers flown without a fatal accident, Ryanair is way ahead as the safest airline in the world.”
Mr Marchi said he and the rest of the flight were loaded off the plane at Manchester and onto a coach, which took them up to Prestwick.
"We arrived at around quarter past four in the morning, about 10 hours late."
A spokesperson for the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) confirmed to The Independent that it has commenced an “investigation into a serious incident involving an aircraft which was diverted from Prestwick to Manchester Airport on Friday, Oct 3”.
“AAIB Inspectors have begun making enquiries and gathering evidence.”
A Ryanair spokesperson told The Independent: “Ryanair reported this to the relevant authorities on Friday (3 Oct).
“As this is now subject of an ongoing investigation, which we are cooperating fully with, we are unable to comment.”
Read more: ScotRail – Storm Amy was significant weather event that created real challenges
