Ryanair Flight Declared Mayday, Nearing Empty Fuel Tanks During Storm

A Ryanair flight from Pisa to Glasgow declared a Mayday emergency after coming within 10 minutes of running out of fuel while contending with the severe weather conditions brought by Storm Amy. The Boeing 737, carrying 171 passengers and six crew members, was eventually diverted to Manchester after multiple attempts to land at Prestwick Airport near Glasgow and a subsequent diversion to Edinburgh were also unsuccessful.

Storm Amy caused significant wind and rain, with surface winds at Glasgow reaching 33 mph and gusts of 52 mph. The storm battered the UK that week with winds up to 92 mph. As the flight approached Prestwick on October 3, 2025, pilots encountered turbulence and a windshear warning, forcing them to abort their landing.

Following the first missed approach, air traffic control informed the pilots that a second missed approach would necessitate a direct diversion to Manchester. During the subsequent attempt, another windshear warning was triggered, leading to a further abort. While awaiting instructions, the pilots were initially informed that Manchester could not accept their diversion request, though no explanation was provided.

The flight then requested a diversion to Edinburgh, which was accepted after a five-minute delay. However, concerns about dwindling fuel levels grew. As the aircraft proceeded toward Edinburgh, the pilots discussed declaring a Mayday to head to Manchester but initially assessed that their situation did not meet the emergency threshold. These concerns intensified after another attempted landing in Edinburgh was aborted due to windshear.

Ultimately, the commander decided to divert to Manchester, by which time the aircraft had 700kg of fuel less than the required amount for the final fuel reserve. A Mayday declaration was then issued. According to a report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), the stress of the low fuel situation and high workload meant the pilots did not consider diverting to a nearer airport like Newcastle. The AAIB report concluded that the crew's prior consideration of Manchester as their preferred alternate airport may have influenced this decision-making.

Adding to the difficulties, a 'breakdown in communications' within Air Traffic Control at Manchester Airport delayed the acceptance of the diversion request. Despite airport policy stating that diversion requests should be accepted if capacity allows and that the decision rests with air traffic control rather than the handling agent, the initial refusal occurred.

The flight finally landed in Manchester at 7:52 p.m., after four-and-a-half hours in the air. At the time of landing, the aircraft had 363kg of fuel remaining, approximately 10 minutes of flight time. Once the plane taxied and the engines were shut down, the remaining fuel had plummeted to just 240kg. The report highlighted that an alternative landing would likely have been impossible had there been another go-around attempt in Manchester.

Manc. airport later reiterated its policy on accepting diversions to stakeholders. The AAIB report noted that while the aircraft landed safely in Manchester, it is unlikely there would have been sufficient fuel for another missed approach.