Ryanair passengers travelling from Alicante to Newquay spent almost eight hours in the air before severe weather forced their Boeing 737-800 back to Spain. Aircraft 9H-QDK could not land at either Newquay or Bristol after diverting via Dublin, turning a scheduled flight of roughly two and a half hours into an overnight return to Alicante, where the passengers were provided with hotel accommodation.
Flight FR2954 departed Alicante on Saturday, 24 October, for Cornwall, but strong winds linked to Storms Austen and Boelo prevented an approach at Newquay. The aircraft landed in Dublin at about 20:52 local time, where passengers reportedly remained onboard for around 1 hour 40 minutes because onward transport from Ireland could not be arranged.
The aircraft then operated as FR2955 towards Bristol, an alternative airport from which passengers were expected to continue by road to Newquay. Weather conditions also ruled out a safe landing there. After holding over the English Channel, the crew returned to Alicante, where the aircraft landed at approximately 02:15 on Sunday, 25 October.
Ryanair indicated that affected passengers were informed of their options, given overnight accommodation and offered rebooking on the next available flight. The disruption illustrates how severe weather at multiple airports can remove both the planned destination and diversion options, leaving passengers far from their intended arrival point despite completing the scheduled flight sequence.