Ryanair flight forced to abort landing twice after hitting 50mph winds

The plane had to be diverted to Liverpool

A Ryanair flight was forced to abort its landing twice after being buffeted by 50mph winds.

The aircraft was on the approach to Leeds Bradford Airport on 13 January having departed from Malta.

However, strong winds, which reach speeds of up to 50mph in the UK yesterday, prevented the plane from touching down at the last minute.

The aborted landing was captured on video, with footage showing the jet descending just above the runway before swiftly ascending again.

After the second attempt the flight diverted to Liverpool airport instead, a two-hour drive away.

It’s standard practice for pilots to pull an aircraft out of a landing and circle back around for another try if weather makes it feel unstable on the approach.

The news follows the unveiling of the world’s most punctual airlines and airports.

OAG, which provides travel data and insight, revealed the top players based on 2018 data.

Copa Airlines, the flag carrier of Panama, was proclaimed most punctual overall, while airBaltic ranked as the best airline for timekeeping in Europe.

British Airways was the number one European mega airline (defined as the world’s top 20 operators globally in terms of scheduled flights in 2018), with an on-time performance of 75.78 per cent.

The most punctual airports, categorised by size, were Minsk (small), Panama City (medium), Osaka (large), Moscow Sheremetyevo (major) and Tokyo Haneda (mega).