Boeing 737 Lands Safely in Manchester After Repeated Windshear Encounters

A Malta Air Boeing 737-800, operating a Ryanair service from Pisa to Glasgow Prestwick, encountered severe weather during Storm Amy. The crew faced three separate windshear encounters, multiple go-arounds, and an initial refusal of their diversion request when they attempted to land at Manchester Airport.

The aircraft had taken additional fuel before departing Italy due to the forecast conditions, but the repeated go-arounds and diversion requirements consumed this margin much faster than anticipated. The crew eventually requested a diversion to Edinburgh, which was accepted after approximately five minutes, but windshear warnings continued to be received during the approach.

The pilots were now faced with a difficult decision: attempting another approach at Edinburgh could result in yet another windshear encounter, while their fuel reserves were continuing to fall rapidly. The commander declared a MAYDAY due to fuel and told air traffic control that the crew were concerned about encountering further windshear at Edinburgh.

The aircraft was then cleared towards Manchester, which they eventually landed safely on Runway 23R at approximately 1952 UTC. The recorded fuel remaining at touchdown was just 363kg, which was 738kg below the operator's required final reserve.