MANCHESTER — A holiday flight bound for Spain was forced to abort its journey and return to Manchester Airport following an unexpected mid-air turnaround over the Atlantic Ocean.
TUI flight BY2786, operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (registration G-TUIP), departed Manchester (MAN) from runway 05L at 07:45 BST, scheduled for a routine flight south to Malaga, Spain.
The 12-year-old aircraft made a standard climb, reaching a cruising altitude of 41,000 feet as it crossed the English Channel. However, approximately one hour into the flight, while tracking off the coast of France over the Atlantic, the flight crew made the decision to abandon the route and turn back.
While TUI has not yet confirmed the exact nature of the issue, industry indicators suggest a suspected technical fault may have prompted the precautionary return.
The twin-engine widebody landed safely back on the tarmac in Manchester 2 hours and 20 minutes after its initial departure. The aircraft taxied normally back to the terminal gate, where passengers disembarked.
The sudden turnaround has caused a knock-on disruption for holidaymakers in Spain. The aircraft was originally scheduled to turn around at Malaga Airport (AGP) for a 12:50 departure back to Manchester.
