Ryanair passengers travelling from Alicante to Newquay on 24 October ended up back in Spain after severe weather prevented landings in both Cornwall and Bristol. The Boeing 737-800, registration 9H-QDK, diverted first to Dublin and then attempted to reach Bristol before returning to Alicante nearly eight hours after departure. The aircraft was carrying out flight FR2954 and later operated as FR2955.
The aircraft left Alicante at 18:23 local time, about an hour behind schedule, for the planned two-hour service to Cornwall. After circling twice near Newquay, the crew abandoned the approach as strong winds, rain and poor visibility associated with Storms Austen and Boelo affected southwest England. The aircraft landed in Dublin at about 20:52, but passengers remained onboard for approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Ryanair then dispatched the aircraft towards Bristol, where passengers were expected to continue to Newquay by bus. That approach was also abandoned because of the weather. After entering a holding pattern over the English Channel, the aircraft returned to Alicante and landed at approximately 02:15-02:16 on 25 October.
Wind gusts in the region reached up to 114 km/h. Passengers were accommodated in a hotel in Alicante. Returning the aircraft to its home base also restored its positioning for the airline’s scheduled operations the following day.