Ryanair flight from Manchester makes emergency landing in France ‘with fire on board’

Aircraft made a rapid descent in just seven minutes, according to flight tracking software

A Ryanair flight from Manchester had to make an emergency landing in France after a fire reportedly broke out on board.

The flight FR4052 departed from Manchester Airport at 6.33pm on Monday and was scheduled to land in Faro, Portugal, at around 9.30pm.

But the journey was interrupted and the flight was forced to make an emergency landing at Brest in western France at around 7.21pm.

A fire was reported in the rear of the aircraft as the plane flew over the English channel and prompted pilots to make an unusually rapid descent from its cruising altitude well above 35,000ft.

According to flight tracking software, the plane descended from about 41,000ft to 6,725ft within seven minutes between 7.14 to 7.21pm, which prompted concerns that the plane could have suffered a potential loss of cabin pressure.

The Brest Guipavas Airport had readied fire tenders, police and buses on the runway before the Ryanair plane landed and passengers were escorted to the terminal.

There were concerns among passengers that they would be forced to isolate and quarantine in France, which is currently under strict covid restrictions. Travellers in France are required to self-isolate for 48 hours after arrival.

However, the passengers were later transferred to another aircraft to continue their journey to Faro after the mishap.

Ryanair is yet to comment on the incident.

This comes a day after another flight from Birmingham to Dublin was forced to make an emergency landing in Manchester. The Aer Lingus airline said it was due to “technical issues”. All passengers had to be provided with stays at the airport before they continued their journey to Dublin on another flight.