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Ryanair flight FR5448 was forced to divert from Nantes-Atlantique Airport (NTE) after an emergency landing by an Iberia Mitsubishi CRJ-1000 closed the runway, according to Air Plus News via X. The go-around caused the 737-800 to declare an emergency due to low fuel before it touched down at Brest Bretagne Airport (BES), France, as shown in tracking data from Flightradar24.
After departing Sevilla Airport (SVQ), Spain, at 5:35 PM, the Ryanair jet was on final approach to France’s NTE just after 7:00 PM on July 6 when it was forced to abort. The pilots were forced to squawk 7700 while making the 150-mile diversion north-west to BES, but coordination with air traffic control saw the plane’s course prioritized for a safe landing at the airfield.
Ryanair Makes A Surprise Visit To Brest
The emergency aircraft was one of Ryanair’s specially designated 737-8AS Next Generation twinjets, tail number EI-EBK. According to Air Live, the flight from SVQ to NTE was uneventful until the plane’s descent to runway 21 was cut short. Immediately after the abandoned landing attempt, the crew reportedly climbed to 7,000 feet, but ATC instructed the narrowbody to hold in a pattern at 4,000 feet for several minutes before it became apparent that the Iberia regional jet would not be cleared from the runway in time.
Nantes only has one runway for commercial aircraft, so there was no alternative available when debris was scattered across the airstrip by the Iberia jet’s emergency landing. The jet was still in the holding pattern when the captain declared an emergency due to low fuel condition. At that point, the pilots switched the transponder to code 7700 and climbed to 20,000 feet. ATC issued priority vectoring to the Brittany peninsula, where flight FR5448 finally set down 2 hours and 40 minutes after takeoff.
There was no adverse weather reported from departure until the flight landed just after 8:00 PM. According to Planespotters.net, EI-EBK was tailor-made for Ryanair and has been flying for the iconic low-cost carrier for over 17 years, since 2009.
Iberia Gets Grounded In Nantes
The disabled plane that led to Ryanair’s FR5448 emergency rerouting was 
Iberia flight number IB1222. The ‘puddle jumper’ experienced an engine failure at full thrust during takeoff. One engine was shut down due to foreign object debris, or FOD, believed to be from a tire that burst during departure. At the time of the incident, the plane was being operated by Air Nostrum on an itinerary bound for Madrid International Airport (MAD).
The CRJ successfully got airborne but had to circle back to the airfield immediately after liftoff for an emergency landing. It wasn’t until 10:30 PM that NTE was able to complete a full inspection of the airstrip. The runway was reopened four hours after flight IB1222’s rough landing. Since 11:00 PM local time, the runway at NTE has resumed normal traffic and remained open without further incident, as Air Live reported in a status update.
Le Parisien wrote that the crippled CRJ did taxi to its parking spot as ground crews worked to ensure the plane’s condition did not become more dangerous. As airport staff cleared the field, the passengers were disembarked and provided accommodation at a local hotel.
Fuel Mayday: Diverted Ryanair Flight Lands With Six Minutes Of Fuel Left
The flight landed safely in Manchester after diverting from Glasgow during Storm Amy.
A Tough Weekend For NTE Flyers
There were five other flights bound for NTE that were canceled as two emergencies unfolded at the small airport on the ground and in the air. Incoming planes from London, Geneva, Nice, Toulouse, Lyon, and Porto were all turned away, according to Le Parisien. Six departures were also canceled. Meanwhile, flights were delayed for travelers coming in from Berlin, Montpellier, Lyon, and Amsterdam.
The July 6 situation follows another recent incident that took place on July 3. Last Friday, an Airbus A321 cargo plane operated by DHL bound for Leipzig, Germany, took off just after 10:00 PM. Right after departure, the crew discovered that the landing gear was completely jammed in the open position. The crew was forced to circle for over an hour and a half at low altitude to troubleshoot and then burn off fuel to attempt a landing when the malfunction failed to clear.
According to Yahoo News, the French Air Force scrambled a fighter jet to perform a visual inspection of the stricken freighter, and flights into the area were diverted. The cargo jet landed back at NTE just before 11:30 PM on Friday. There were no injuries, and the airfield opened normally for ops afterward, but residents remarked on the long period of loud engine noises from the low-flying jets.
