Man on board diverted Ryanair fight recalls moment passengers were told they were going to Paris instead

You might have woken up missing a few fence panels or with your wheelie bins halfway down the street - but spare a thought for the plane full of passengers who have started their morning off in Paris instead of Dublin.

Storm Isha is well and truly making its mark as it batters some parts of the UK with 90mph gusts, forcing the Met Office to enforce yellow warnings for wind across the majority of the country.

The powerful weather front has largely impacted the travel sector, grounding flights and stopping trains from leaving the station due to safety concerns.

But it was hard luck for people who were already strapped into their airplane seats when Storm Isha really kicked in on Sunday (21 January).

Passengers onboard Ryanair flight FR555 had a bumpy ride when they tried to land at Dublin Airport in Ireland, as the strong winds made it pretty much impossible.

The aircraft was seen circling the Irish Sea on FlightRadar as it attempted to touch down, a process which one traveller compared to riding a mechanical bull.

The unnamed bloke has now shared a video on social media revealing exactly what went down on the flight.

The Irishman explained: "We took off at 3.05pm, flew to Dublin, circled round for about an hour and then the pilot tried to land and aborted.

"It was crazy, it was like being on one of those bulls that tries to throw you off or something.

"Then we headed back towards Manchester, but Manchester couldn't take any more diverted planes so we headed to the East Midlands - they couldn't take us there either! The storm had hit."

Passengers were then informed that landing at a UK airport was completely off the cards, leaving the pilots with only one option - diverting the plane to the city of love, Paris.

The man giggled excitedly: "So we are now standing on the plane in Paris.

"We're going to be getting off soon, trying to find a hotel or something. Then figure out how to get from Paris to Dublin."

He said that the highlight of his chaotic journey through the stormy skies was the reactions from people onboard when they found out that the plane was being diverted to the French capital.

The traveller added: "It was hilarious - when they said we were going to East Midlands, there was a big groan from everybody.

"Then they said we can't make East Midlands, we're going to Paris - and everyone started cheering!"

He said he was just 'glad to be on the ground in one piece' after all that madness thousands of feet in the air - but I bet that delicious French pastry he probably enjoyed this morning helped soften the blow a bit too.

Journalist Nicola Bardon was also on the flight and told the Manchester Evening News that 'there was a big laugh' among travellers when they found out where they were headed.

She added: "One person yelled 'Welcome to Pari, would prefer to be in Kerry'."

At least he can laugh about it 😂#StormIsha pic.twitter.com/gtanSVUMdg

— ⚒𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗿𝘂𝗻@𝘄𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗺⚒️ (@chickenrunwhufc) January 22, 2024

Ryanair said in a statement about the incident: "Due to Storm Isha, some flights to/from the UK and Ireland yesterday and today (22 January) have regrettably been cancelled/delayed.

"We are working hard to re-accommodate affected passengers and advise all passengers due to travel to/from the UK or Ireland today to check their Ryanair app for the latest updates on their flight.

"Ryanair sincerely apologises to all passengers affected by these storm-related disruptions, which are entirely beyond our control and have impacted all airlines operating to/from the UK and Ireland yesterday."