Ryanair flight landed in Manchester with nine minutes of fuel after three aborted approaches

Aborted approaches in Scotland

On 3 October 2025, a Ryanair Boeing 737 registered as 9H-QBD operated a flight from Pisa, Italy, toward Prestwick Airport near Glasgow with 171 passengers and six crew members on board. The aircraft encountered severe turbulence and wind gusts reaching 56 knots, approximately 104 kilometres per hour, generated by Storm Amy across the United Kingdom. Before departure, the flight crew had loaded 11,500 kilograms of fuel, including contingency reserves to manage anticipated adverse weather and potential holding patterns. During the initial approach to Prestwick, an automated wind shear warning activated at an altitude of 264 feet, prompting the pilots to initiate an immediate go-around manoeuvre. A second approach attempt at Prestwick triggered another wind shear warning at just 50 feet, roughly 15 metres above the ground. Under company operating procedures, two consecutive missed approaches required the crew to divert away from the destination.

Diversion refusal and Mayday call

The flight crew initially selected Manchester Airport as their designated diversion alternative because weather conditions in northern England were significantly more favourable. When the pilots contacted air traffic control to divert to Manchester, airport ground handlers rejected the request without providing an operational explanation to the crew. Faced with the rejection, the pilots rerouted the aircraft toward Edinburgh Airport to attempt a landing there. As the Boeing 737 descended toward Edinburgh, a third wind shear warning sounded in the cockpit, forcing the crew to abandon the approach and climb away. With total fuel down to 2,164 kilograms, the pilots calculated that a subsequent transit to Manchester would leave only 500 to 700 kilograms upon arrival. The captain transmitted a Mayday fuel emergency call to air traffic control, securing immediate clearance for an uninterrupted approach into Manchester.

Fuel exhaustion margins

The aircraft touched down safely at Manchester Airport at 19:13 local time, concluding a flight that lasted nearly 4.5 hours following departure delays in Pisa. Post-flight inspections confirmed that only 363 kilograms of aviation kerosene remained in the fuel system, representing approximately 1% of total capacity. This residual quantity fell far below the mandatory final reserve threshold of 1,100 kilograms required by aviation safety regulations. Investigators calculated that the remaining kerosene provided less than ten minutes of additional flight time under normal conditions.

“It is unlikely that there would have been enough fuel for another attempt.”

Had the crew been forced to execute another go-around at Manchester, the available fuel would have lasted for approximately three minutes before complete engine flameout.

Departure fuel11,500

Edinburgh Mayday call2,164

Required final reserve1,100

Manchester touchdown363

Departure fuel

11500 kg

Edinburgh Mayday call

2164 kg

Required final reserve

1100 kg

Manchester touchdown

363 kg

Data from the article text

Investigation findings and procedural changes

The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch, collaborating with Italy's National Agency for Flight Safety, classified the occurrence as a serious incident. Investigators determined that the initial diversion rejection stemmed from an internal communication breakdown between Manchester Airport operations and ramp handling services. The intense cockpit workload and rapidly developing weather emergency prevented the flight crew from evaluating closer alternative airports such as Newcastle. The report established that the crew acted in accordance with safety guidelines and bore no operational fault for the fuel exhaustion sequence. Following the release of the safety findings, Manchester Airport stated that management reviewed the incident and reinforced operational procedures governing diversion requests.