A Ryanair flight travelling from Pisa to Glasgow Prestwick was forced to make an emergency landing in Manchester on 3 October after it came dangerously close to running out of fuel — reportedly with only about six minutes’ worth remaining. The incident took place amid Storm Amy and has prompted an investigation by the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) to establish what went wrong and how the aircraft’s fuel reserves were managed.
The aircraft involved, a Boeing 737-800 operated by Malta Air for Ryanair, had departed from Pisa-San Giusto Airport bound for Scotland. Severe weather linked to the storm — which brought winds of up to 160 kilometres per hour across parts of the UK — prevented the flight from reaching its intended destination.
Flight FR3418 attempted to land twice at Prestwick Airport but was unable to do so safely due to the high winds. The pilots then requested permission to divert to Edinburgh, the designated alternate airport, but poor weather there also forced them to abandon that approach.
With fuel supplies running low, the crew opted to divert once more, this time to Manchester. During the diversion, the pilots declared an emergency by transmitting squawk code 7700, signalling a critical in-flight situation as the fuel levels reached a dangerously low point.
The aircraft touched down safely in Manchester after a journey lasting around four and a half hours — almost double the normal flight time for that route. Reports in the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera suggest that upon landing, the plane’s tanks contained just 220 kilograms of fuel — 100 kilograms in the left tank and 120 in the right — only enough to remain airborne for roughly five or six more minutes.
The AAIB has launched an inquiry to identify any miscalculations or procedural errors in the pilots’ planning and to determine how the situation became so critical. A Ryanair spokesperson stated that the airline notified the relevant authorities on the same day, adding: “As the matter is now under investigation, and we are cooperating fully, we are unable to make further comment at this time.”