Multiple passengers on a Ryanair holiday flight to Tenerife were injured when their plane hit severe turbulence. The Boeing 737 Max returned to its starting point, Birmingham airport, where it was met by emergency services. The airline said: “A small number of passengers were provided with medical assistance.”
Ryanair flight FR1121 pushed back from the gate at Birmingham a few minutes ahead of its 2.50pm departure time on Sunday 28 December. The four-year-old twin jet took off at 3.05pm and climbed to cruising altitude of 37,000ft 40 minutes later – just as it crossed the French coast and reached the town of Morlaix in Brittany.
The cabin service was underway when the aircraft encountered severe turbulence.
The pilots decided to turn back to Birmingham. Within 10 minutes, the Boeing had descended to 10,000ft over the English Channel – a height normally signifying problems with pressurisation, though there is no indication that was the reason for the lower altitude.
The plane landed normally at Birmingham 90 minutes after it had taken off. It was parked at a remote stand.
A spokesperson for Ryanair said: “FR1121 from Birmingham to Tenerife on 28 December returned to Birmingham airport shortly after take-off due to air turbulence.
“The aircraft landed normally before passengers disembarked and returned to the terminal, where a small number of passengers were provided with medical assistance.”
A replacement aircraft was flown from Leeds Bradford to Birmingham to operate the flight. The passengers reboarded and took off at 9.21pm, arriving at Tenerife South at 1.25am – over six hours behind schedule. The Independent has asked Ryanair if all the passengers took the replacement flight.
Passengers who were returning from Tenerife to Birmingham at the end of their Christmas break were not so heavily delayed. A substitute plane was deployed on the flight from the Spanish holiday island, coincidentally also arriving at 1.25am, 70 minutes behind schedule.
