A Ryanair flight from Spain to Manchester declared an emergency after a passenger fell ill mid-flight, and the plane diverted to Bristol.
A passenger had taken ill during the journey(Image: Pavel1964 via Getty Images)
A Ryanair flight from Spain to Manchester declared an emergency after a passenger fell ill mid-flight. The Boeing 737-800, flight RYR56QH, had departed from Seville and was heading to Manchester Airport when the crew transmitted the emergency 7700 squawk code.
The alert was issued on Sunday evening (October 25), approximately 20 minutes before landing. The code signals a general emergency, and it has since been confirmed that a passenger had taken ill during the journey.
The flight touched down safely at Manchester Airport, where medical crews were already waiting to assist the stricken passenger. The aircraft had been scheduled to leave Seville at 8.20pm, but was delayed, not taking off until 9.33pm local time.
The emergency was declared just before landing(Image: Squawk)
According to Flight Radar, the plane eventually touched down in Manchester at 11.30pm.
A Ryanair spokesperson confirmed: "A passenger became unwell during the flight so crew called ahead for medical assistance to meet the aircraft upon landing at Manchester."
Meanwhile, an investigation has been launched after "several guests" on Eurowings flight from Greece to Germany "felt very unwell" in a suspected Norovirus outbreak. Passengers claim medics in ‘hazmat suits’ boarded a plane.
The flight, from Rhodes to Dusseldorf, took place on Sunday (October 18) and saw three passengers hospitalised, according to reports. Eurowings has since confirmed the incident onboard and said "the cause of the symptoms is unclear and is being looked into".
Passenger Nathalie Gombik watched on in fear as the aircraft around her descended into chaos with a number of travellers falling ill. The 28-year-old captured the moment ambulances greeted them on the runway with medics storming the plane.
According to the bartender, many passengers began vomiting on the plane with the cabin crew taking control of the situation at 30,000ft. The flight reportedly had 212 passengers onboard and a flight crew of seven.
“Seeing so many ambulances and emergency personnel in protective clothing after landing was quite shocking,” Nathalie, from Breckerfeld, Germany, told NeedToKnow.
“During the flight, several passengers became ill. I know for certain that three passengers were affected, but it appeared that approximately three more were also experiencing symptoms. Some passengers were vomiting during the flight.”
Nathalie said: “The flight attendants remained calm, composed and discreet throughout the incident. As passengers, we barely noticed the extent of what was happening behind the scenes.
“At the time, we had no idea that a mass casualty incident had reportedly been declared, that numerous ambulances had been mobilised or that our aircraft had reportedly been given priority for landing.
“You board a plane expecting a normal journey home from your holiday, completely unaware that such a large emergency response is being organised on the ground. We had to remain on board for approximately 90 minutes before we were finally allowed to disembark.”
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