https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/oct/10/ryanair-flight-landed-at-manchester-airport-with-six-minutes-of-fuel-left-flight-log-suggests [p] Skip to main contentSkip to navigation Close dialogue1/1Next imagePrevious imageToggle caption Skip to navigation Print subscriptions Newsletters Sign in US[ ] * US edition * UK edition * Australia edition * Europe edition * International edition The Guardian - Back to home [ ] * News * Opinion * Sport * Culture * Lifestyle Show moreHide expanded menu * [ ]News + View all News + US news + US politics + World news + Climate crisis + Middle East + Ukraine + US immigration + Soccer + Business + Environment + Tech + Science + Newsletters + Wellness * [ ]Opinion + View all Opinion + The Guardian view + Columnists + Letters + Opinion videos + Cartoons * [ ]Sport + View all Sport + Soccer + NFL + Tennis + MLB + MLS + NBA + WNBA + NHL + F1 + Golf * [ ]Culture + View all Culture + Film + Books + Music + Art & design + TV & radio + Stage + Classical + Games * [ ]Lifestyle + View all Lifestyle + The Filter + Wellness + Fashion + Food + Recipes + Love & sex + Home & garden + Health & fitness + Family + Travel + Money * Search input [ ] google-search Search + Support us + Print subscriptions + Newsletters + Download the app * + Search jobs + Digital Archive + Guardian Licensing + Live events + About Us + The Guardian app + Video + Podcasts + Pictures + Inside the Guardian + Guardian Weekly + Crosswords + Wordiply + Corrections + Tips * Search input [ ] google-search Search + Search jobs + Digital Archive + Guardian Licensing + Live events + About Us * UK * UK politics * Education * Media * Society * Law * Scotland * Wales * Northern Ireland Tailfin of a Ryanair plane [ ] The pilots had been taking passengers from Pisa in Italy to Prestwick in Scotland on Friday evening but wind speeds of up to 100mph meant they were unable to land. Photograph: Russell Hart/Alamy View image in fullscreen The pilots had been taking passengers from Pisa in Italy to Prestwick in Scotland on Friday evening but wind speeds of up to 100mph meant they were unable to land. Photograph: Russell Hart/Alamy Ryanair Ryanair flight landed at Manchester airport with six minutes of fuel left, flight log suggests Investigation under way after flight during Storm Amy made three landing attempts in Scotland before flying to Manchester Juliette Garside Fri 10 Oct 2025 10.21 EDTLast modified on Fri 10 Oct 2025 11.13 EDT Share An investigation is under way after a Ryanair flight battling with high wind speeds during storm Amy last week landed at Manchester airport with just six minutes of fuel left in its tanks. The pilots had been taking passengers from Pisa in Italy to Prestwick in Scotland on Friday evening, but wind speeds of up to 100mph meant they were unable to land. After three failed attempts to touch down, the pilots of Ryanair flight FR3418 issued a mayday emergency call and raced to Manchester, where the weather was calmer. The Boeing 737-800 had just 220kg of fuel left in its tanks when it finally landed, according to a picture of what appears to be a handwritten technical log. Pilots who examined the picture said this would be enough for just five or six minutes of flying. Analysis of the log suggests the plane left Pisa with reserve fuel, as commercial flights are required to do. A spokesperson for the airline said: "Ryanair reported this to the relevant authorities on Friday [3 October]. As this is now subject of an ongoing investigation, which we are co-operating fully with, we are unable to comment." The Air Accidents Investigation Branch confirmed on Thursday it had opened an investigation after being notified by Ryanair. A spokesperson said: "The AAIB has commenced an investigation into a serious incident involving an aircraft which was diverted from Prestwick to Manchester Airport on Friday 3 October. AAIB inspectors have begun making inquiries and gathering evidence." The Boeing 737-800 can carry up to 189 passengers. One person on board recounted what is thought to have been a two-hour attempt to make a safe landing, saying the plane made two attempts to land at Prestwick, before heading for Edinburgh and finally Manchester. "Everyone was calm until the descent; we were being buffeted around a lot and jumping. There were a few worried people on the second descent as we could feel the plane was struggling," Alexander Marchi told the Ayr Advertiser. "Then the pilot surprised us by saying he was going to attempt Edinburgh. This was just as bad, though, as the second time at Prestwick. skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Business Today Free daily newsletter Get set for the working day - we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning Enter your email address [ ]Sign up Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion "There was turbulence over the Firth of Forth and then as we approached the airport, as we were very close to landing, again we had to pull up sharply." The passengers were taken from Manchester to Prestwick, arriving 10 hours later than the scheduled arrival time of 6pm on Friday. One pilot who reviewed the log said: "Just imagine that whenever you land with less than 2T (2,000kg) of fuel left you start paying close attention to the situation. Less than 1.5T you are sweating. But this is as close to a fatal accident as possible." 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