Passengers aboard a Ryanair flight say they feared for their lives after the plane reportedly had only six minutes of fuel left while attempting to land in the U.K.
The Emergency
According to PEOPLE, Ryanair flight FR3418 departed from Pisa, Italy, on October 3 and sent out a “squawk 7700” emergency distress code, indicating a fuel emergency. The aircraft was initially set to land at Glasgow Prestwick Airport in Scotland, but was forced to divert due to dangerous weather conditions.
Data from the app Flightradar24 showed the Boeing 737 attempting to land at Prestwick despite strong winds, before making another failed landing attempt at Edinburgh Airport.
One passenger described the terrifying experience, saying it felt like “something you’d watch in a disaster movie.” The forecast that day included strong winds and heavy rainfall, which complicated landing attempts.
After multiple diversions, the aircraft finally landed safely at Manchester Airport nearly two hours later.
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Critically Low Fuel
Reports revealed that once the plane landed, it had only 220 kilograms of fuel remaining—below the minimum safety threshold for a Boeing 737. Ryanair has not provided detailed comments but confirmed that flight FR3418 was diverted due to weather-related challenges. Aviation experts say 220kg of fuel roughly equates to about six minutes of flight time, emphasizing how dangerously close the aircraft came to running out.
Ongoing Investigation
Aviation authorities in the U.K. and Ireland are reviewing the incident, which could prompt an investigation into the airline’s refueling and diversion protocols.