A Ryanair fuel emergency turns a routine flight into a near-disaster.
On 3 October 2025, Ryanair Flight 3418 lifted off from Pisa International Airport (PSA) in Italy bound for Glasgow Prestwick Airport (PIK) in Scotland. What should have been a two-and-a-half-hour hop to Scotland turned into a 10½-hour ordeal that nearly ended in tragedy.
Operated by Malta Air—a Ryanair subsidiary—the Boeing 737-800 (registration 9H-QBD) left the gate on time at 1615 local but didn’t actually depart until 1728. A protest in Pisa by pro-Palestinian demonstrators delayed departures after entering the runway, adding an hour and thirteen minutes of taxi time before takeoff. The incident created a ripple effect across the evening’s flight schedule, forcing crews to work against shifting weather windows across Europe.
By the time Flight 3418 reached Scottish airspace, conditions had deteriorated rapidly. Storm Amy was hammering the region with gusts approaching 100 mph. The system had been strengthened by the remnants of former Hurricane Humberto, a once-Category 5 storm that had crossed the Atlantic and was now tearing into northern Europe with tropical storm-force winds and heavy rain.
Three Airports, Three Go-Arounds
Prestwick was already dealing with winds gusting beyond 50 mph and reports of severe turbulence below 2,000 feet. As the Boeing lined up for Runway 20, the crew initiated a go-around when the approach became unstable. After a short hold, they tried again roughly 30 minutes later, only to go-around a second time when the aircraft was buffeted by shifting gusts and windshear.
With fuel reserves dropping, the crew diverted east to Edinburgh. Conditions there were only marginally better. The winds were fierce, the rain heavier, and the turbulence severe. As the jet descended toward Runway 24, the pilots once again elected to go around, unable to maintain a stabilized approach. That made three go-arounds at two airports in less than two hours.
At that point, the situation had become critical. Following the failed landing attempt at Edinburgh, the crew declared a mayday fuel emergency and squawked 7700, alerting air traffic control that they were below the minimum reserve fuel threshold. The declaration gave them landing priority at the nearest suitable field, which in this case was Manchester Airport (MAN) in England, roughly 185 miles to the south.
The weather as the flight descended into MAN was not great, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as what they had faced in Scotland. Winds were gusting into the low 40s but blowing almost straight down Runway 23R. Visibility was good. The crew lined up for what would be their fourth and final approach of the night.
It should be noted that, although gusts reached 54 mph at Prestwick and nearly 60 mph at Edinburgh, the wind direction—roughly 230 to 240 degrees—aligned closely with the runways in use: Runway 20 at Prestwick, Runway 24 at Edinburgh, and Runway 23R at Manchester. As a result, the crosswind component was not a factor in this incident. The challenge wasn’t lateral control…it was the turbulence, the unpredictable gusts, and the fuel burn accumulating with each circuit around the weather.
Six Minutes From Empty
When Flight 3418 touched down safely in MAN at 2051 local time, the Boeing had been airborne for more than four hours (total block time was 5h 36m. The passengers were then bussed from Manchester to Prestwick–about five hours’ drive time). Only 220 kilograms (about 58 US gallons) of fuel remained—enough for roughly six more minutes of flight. The left tank held 100 kilograms, and the right 120.
Under EU regulations, commercial aircraft must have at least 30 minutes of reserve fuel upon landing. This would be roughly 394 US gallons for a 737-800. The flight was well below that threshold. The UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has classified the event as a “serious incident.”
This was as close to a fatal accident as possible.
Pilot (via The Guardian)
One pilot told The UK’s The Guardian, “Whenever you land with less than two tonnes [≈528 US gallons] of fuel, you start paying close attention. Below 1.5 tonnes [≈396 US gallons], you’re sweating. This was as close to a fatal accident as possible.”
Flight logs show that the aircraft had departed Pisa with the required fuel reserves. But the extended taxi delay, multiple go-arounds, and diversions pushed its endurance to the edge. With just six minutes of usable fuel remaining, there was simply no margin left for another attempt.
Had the crew been forced into one more go-around, or if turbulence had triggered a missed approach in Manchester, the outcome could have been catastrophic. Every second, every configuration change, and every turn mattered. The cockpit workload would have been immense: balancing checklists, communicating with ATC, managing systems, and maintaining calm under pressure.
In those final minutes, everything had to go perfectly—and, thankfully, it did. But Flight 3418’s ordeal highlights how razor-thin the line can be between a manageable diversion and a full-blown emergency. Three go-arounds, two diversions, and one storm left a 737 running on fumes. Six minutes of fuel separated Ryanair Flight 3418 from becoming another entry in aviation history for all the wrong reasons.
