In a bizarre and disruptive turn of events, passengers travelling to and from the United Kingdom and Ireland have found themselves in entirely different destinations, and some cases, even different countries. The culprit behind this air travel chaos is Storm Isha, which unleashed its fury on flight plans across Europe, leaving airlines to cope with cancellations, diversions, and extended flight times.
Storm Isha Sent European Flights Off-Course
The powerful storm unleashed gusts of wind reaching up to 145 km/h, causing chaos at regional airports. According to News 18 reports, runways were severely impacted, leading to flight cancellations, diversions, and extended flight times. Dublin Airport, operated by DAA, faced significant disruptions, with 166 flights cancelled, 36 diversions, and 34 go-arounds on Sunday alone. Among the affected airlines, Ryanair is severely affected by Storm Isha, experiencing flights landing in entirely different countries.
One Ryanair flight originating from Lanzarote, Canary Islands, bound for Dublin was forced to divert to Bordeaux, France. After a go-around, another Ryanair flight from Manchester to Dublin found itself in Paris Beauvais. The brutal storm also turned a half-hour flight into a two-and-a-half-hour ordeal. Yet another flight on the same route circled above Dublin, attempted landings in Belfast and Glasgow, but ultimately ended up in Liverpool, a mere 50 kilometres away from its intended destination.
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The Chaos Left Travellers Stranded Across Europe
In addition to Ryanair, other airlines also faced challenges. An easyJet flight from Antalya, Turkey, to Manchester entered the UK airspace before executing a turnaround and landing safely in Lyon, France. A Lufthansa flight from Munich to Dublin also had to perform a go-around and return to Munich.
News 18 reports, the disruptions were not exclusive to mainland Europe. A Ryanair flight from Shannon to Edinburgh flew to Scotland before diverting to Cologne, Germany. The widespread impact on air travel was made worse by the storm’s forceful winds. They reached 70-75 mph in the south of England and Ireland, creating crosswinds, wind shear, and turbulence that posed additional challenges for flight crews, as explained by Steve Fox, the head of network operations at NATS, the UK’s air traffic control operator.
Passengers also faced extended travel times, highlighting the disruptive consequences of Storm Isha.
Cover Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
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