UK-Bound Ryanair Passengers Diverted Twice In 8-Hour Ordeal, Only To Land Back In Spain

Published Oct 26, 2026, 1:52 AM EDT Journalist – Aaron is an aviation and travel journalist with 14 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry. His background spans airport operations, aviation infrastructure, and travel consulting, having worked with global organizations across New Zealand, Europe, and North America. Combining industry expertise with firsthand travel experience across more than 52 countries and five continents, Aaron covers airlines, airports, aviation policy, and the wider travel sector. He is based in Canterbury, New Zealand. His work has been published in Simple Flying and featured by MSN, SAM CHUI Aviation & Travel, EIN News, Pakistan Defence, and Climate Depot. Passengers onboard a recent Ryanair flight from Ireland to the United Kingdom ended up more than 1,000 miles away in Spain after experiencing two separate flight diversions due to stormy weather. The incident began when the aircraft departed Alicante-Elche Airport (ALC) for Cornwall Newquay Airport (NQY), but the weather forced it to divert to Dublin Airport (DUB). It later departed Dublin for Bristol International Airport (BRS) on Saturday, October 24, but was again diverted by severe weather. As reported by AirLive, the flight crew aborted the landing attempt at the English airport. Following an unusual holding pattern over the English Channel, the pilots chose an extreme alternative airport, returning to its original departure point in Alicante, Spain, around eight hours after originally departing. A Ryanair Flight From Dublin To Bristol Was Diverted To Spain Credit: Karolis Kavolelis | Shutterstock Shortly after departing from Dublin, the flight reached its cruising altitude of 27,000 feet as it headed towards Bristol. When the crew was advised of challenging weather conditions, the crew made a decision to abort the landing before it had even descended below 20,000 feet. This forced the budget airline to place its jet into an unusual holding pattern. The jet climbed back up to a higher altitude and headed south to evaluate its next steps. It considered a number of diversion options to various regional airports, and after making a U-turn while assessing operational viability elsewhere in the United Kingdom, persistent weather conditions resulted in the decision to head to Spain instead. Credit: Simple Flying Ryanair flight 2955 eventually touched down in Alicante at 2:15 AM local time, more than 910 miles (1,465 km) from the flight's intended destination. Why Did Ryanair Decide To Divert All The Way To Spain? Credit: MihailC95 | Shutterstock One could question why the budget airline decided to divert so far away from its initial origin or destination. The real story comes from the aircraft's home base. The Boeing 737-800, operated by Europe's largest ultra-low-cost carrier, had a delayed departure from Alicante that evening. The jet had flown from Alicante to Cornwall Newquay Airport (NQY); however, after conditions had also soured, this resulted in the plane opting for a diversion to the Irish capital of Dublin, also one of Ryanair's largest bases and home of its European headquarters. This left the aircraft, passengers and its crew displaced. Attempting the flight to Bristol to repatriate the passengers to the United Kingdom, the adverse weather conditions resulted in the plane diverting back to Alicante in the middle of the night, more than eight hours after its initial departure from Alicante. This enabled the jet to return to its home base, ensuring its adequate position for the next day's schedule of operations. While the diversion was ultimately inconvenient for the passengers on the flight, the diversion to Alicante meant the aircraft was able to return to its home base that evening, and minimized ongoing disruption for all of the flights that aircraft in particular was scheduled to operate the following day. Aircraft Involved: 9H-QDK Credit: MC MEDIASTUDIO | Shutterstock The jet at the centre of the incident is that of Ryanair aircraft 9H-QDK. Delivered in November 2016, the aircraft is almost ten years of age and has operated under both the Ryanair and Malta Air air operator certificates. Configured in the standard all-economy class layout, the plane can accommodate up to 189 seats. Delivered to Ryanair on November 28, 2016, after taking its first test flight on November 18, the plane has otherwise operated for the low-cost carrier and its subsidiaries ever since. The jet initially operated under the Irish registration EI-FTJ, before being transferred to Malta Air on March 17, 2020, where it was assigned 9H-QDK. Full details of the aircraft are in the table below, with information from ch-aviation: Registration 9H-QDK Serial Number (MSN) 44760 Line Number (LN) 6182 Aircraft Type Boeing 737-8AS First Flight Date November 18, 2016 Delivery Date November 28, 2016: Ryanair March 17, 2020: Malta Air Plane Age 9.9 years Ryanair is Europe's largest ultra-low-cost and overall largest airline on the continent by scheduled passenger number and fleet size. It has an extensive trans-European network, with additional flights to North Africa and the Levant Region of the Middle East. It was founded in 1984 by Tony Ryan, Christopher Ryan and Liam Lonergan, and subsidiaries of the carrier now include Buzz, Malta Air, Lauda Europe and Ryanair UK.