TUI passengers feared they would “never see their families again” when a “trainee pilot” was forced to land in a snowstorm.
The flight from Tenerife was originally scheduled to land at: manchester Airport at 8pm on March 9th.
However, extreme weather conditions forced a diversion to East Midlands Airport near Nottingham.
Passengers were left “shrieking and crying” due to the extreme turbulence when Storm Larissa hit the UK.
TUI is now emailing passengers and offering free counseling to help with the trauma of flying.
Gareth Salter, who was on board, said, “People were panicking, babies were screaming, women were crying. There were some girls crying behind us.
“Honestly, I was saying my prayers. I never thought I would see my family again. It was terrible.
Storm Larissa caused heavy snow and blizzard-like conditions across much of northern England.
At Manchester Airport flights were delayed and drivers were left stranded on busy roads like the M62.
Passengers said they were not told they had been diverted until after they landed.
Gareth said: There was a crosswind and we were caught in turbulence.
“As soon as we landed, we knew this was not Manchester. I asked them to clap for me.
“People were still in shock and were clapping.”
Gareth claims that passengers were left stranded at East Midlands airport and had to find a hotel and return home on their own.
However, TUI denied these allegations and said transfers had been arranged to take passengers to Manchester Airport.
Passengers could choose to either go home and claim the costs themselves or be provided accommodation that was unsafe to travel to, according to the travel agency.
Gareth said he and his partner got a hotel for the night and traveled to Manchester by train at 4pm the next day.
“It was a blizzard outside. The whole venue was in an uproar,” he said.
“Even Greggs stayed in business and baked another dish for everyone.
“It was a terrifying experience at first, but it got weirder and stranger as it progressed.”
A TUI spokesperson said: “We can confirm that TOM2477 en route from Tenerife to Manchester Airport on 9 March was diverted to East Midlands Airport due to inclement weather on the way back to Manchester.
“Customers arrived safely at East Midlands Airport and were informed of the diversion upon arrival.
“Transportation was arranged to bring customers back to Manchester Airport and accommodation was provided where required. Customers received regular updates throughout the night.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to our customers, but we kindly ask for your understanding and understanding. The safety of our customers and crew is our number one priority.
“We want to assure our customers that cases of this kind are rare.
“TUI provides counseling to everyone on the plane.”
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