A major investigation has been launched after a Ryanair flight was forced to make a diversion after declaring a fuel emergency mid-air.
The flight was heading to Glasgow's Prestwick Airport from Pisa Galileo Galilei Airport in Italy when it issued a "fuel Mayday" and made an emergency landing in Manchester.
The incident occurred on October 3, when Storm Amy was battering large parts of Britain with winds of up to 100mph, sparking transport chaos across the country.
The flight aborted landing approaches on three separate times, known as "go-arounds", before finally landing in Manchester.
The flight was heading to Glasgow's Prestwick Airport from Pisa Galileo Galilei Airport in Italy when it issued a 'fuel Mayday' (file photo)
|GETTY
The go-around manoeuvre is a routine procedure undertaken when flights are adversely effected by extreme weather.
The plane landed two hours after it aborted its first landing approach at Prestwick Airport.
According to flight tracking data from FlightRadar24, crew on board the Ryanair flight declared a "Squawk 7700" as it approached Manchester.
The code immediately alerts Air Traffic Control that the flight is in danger.
The plane landed with just 220kg of fuel left in the tank, which is only sufficient for around five or six minutes of flying time, The Aviation Herald reported.
The Squawk 7700 code immediately alerts Air Traffic Control that the flight is in danger
|GETTY
Passenger Alexander Marchi told The Ayr Advertiser: "After leaving late from Pisa because of a general strike and protesters invading the tarmac at the airport we were worried that we wouldn't get to Prestwick before the storm hit.
"Everything was fine until we started our descent. The plane was circling a few times before trying the first time but pulling up almost immediately.
"People were very worried as the sound of the plane sharply pulling up was dramatic.
"We realised how bad things had been after seeing the images after finally landing 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. There was a lot of relief."
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The final reserve fuel is the absolute minimum amount of fuel an aircraft can have before it is deemed unsafe to remain in the air.
For the type of aircraft used for the Ryanair flight, a Boeing 737-800, the amount of fuel require cannot dip below 30 minutes of flying time.
However, for turboprop planes, which travel at higher altitudes, this amount rises to 45 minutes of fuel.
Passenger Alexander Marchi said 'there was a lot of relief' when the plane finally landed at Manchester Airport
| RYANAIRA Ryanair spokesman said: “Ryanair reported this to the relevant authorities on Friday (October 3).
"As this is now subject of an ongoing investigation, which we are cooperating fully with, we are unable to comment.”
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) is now reviewing the incident.
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