UK Ryanair flight diverted 900 miles to Spain after Storm Boelo prevents landing

Passengers on a UK-bound Ryanair flight found themselves more than 900 miles away from their intended destination after Storm Boelo brought severe winds across the country. Flight FR2955 departed Dublin Airport at around 10pm on Saturday, October 24, for a short-haul journey across the Irish Sea to Bristol. However, as the aircraft began its descent towards Bristol, the attempted landing was aborted and the plane was diverted to Alicante-Elche Airport in southern Spain, around 910 miles from its intended destination.

The aircraft had been cruising at an altitude of 27,000ft before beginning its descent as it approached Bristol. It is understood the plane was still above 20,000ft when strong winds prompted the decision to place it in a holding pattern. In an unusual turn of events, the aircraft returned to cruising altitude and headed south as air traffic control considered alternative airports, reported Airlive . Flight-tracking data showed the plane making a U-turn before the decision was reportedly taken to divert to Spain as severe weather continued to affect the UK.

The Ryanair aircraft landed safely on Runway 10 at Alicante at 2.15am local time on Sunday, almost three hours after departing Dublin. The journey would normally take less than an hour. The diversion meant passengers ended up nearly 1,000 miles from Bristol, despite having originally set off on a short flight between Ireland and England. It appears the aircraft had already faced difficulties earlier in the day. The plane had reportedly travelled from Alicante to Newquay on Saturday but was unable to land because of weather conditions in Cornwall, resulting in a diversion to Dublin.

After reaching Ireland, the aircraft then attempted to fly to Bristol. However, with strong winds continuing to affect the UK, it was reportedly unable to land there either, prompting the decision to return to Alicante. The diversion also meant the aircraft was back in position to begin its scheduled route the following day. The Mirror has contacted Ryanair for comment. Meanwhile, another Ryanair flight bound for Edinburgh was diverted overseas on Saturday as strong winds disrupted air travel.

Flight FR7644 had been travelling from Faro in Portugal to the Scottish capital but was unable to land because of the weather. Instead, the aircraft was diverted to Oslo in Norway, around 600 miles from Edinburgh.