Malta Air flight forced to land at Edinburgh Airport after pilot made swift decision mid-air

The flight from Fuerteventura was diverted to the capital.

Passengers were forced to land at Edinburgh Airport on Saturday afternoon after the pilot made a swift decision. Malta Air flight FR1667 from Fuerteventura was set to land at Bristol around 3.25pm on June 6.

Instead, passengers were diverted to the Scottish capital and the aircraft landed around 3..50pm, according to Flight Radar. The reason for the diversion has not been confirmed.

The flight left Fuerteventura shortly before 11am. It’s understood the pilot did not declare an emergency onboard.

Malta Air is owned and operated by Ryanair. The airline have been approached for comment by our sister title Edinburgh Live.

This comes following a separate incident on May 28, where officers boarded a Ryanair flight after it touched down in Edinburgh.

An incident took place on the flight from Riga to Scotland’s capital with a passenger saying half a dozen officers boarded upon landing. After departing from Latvia at 10.45am local time, the plane touched down in Scotland at 11.35am.

A video from within the plane appears to show an officer walking down the aisle of the packed flight while passengers look on in shock. Other footage appears to depict authorities surrounding the plane on the tarmac.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 11.40am on Thursday, 28 May, 2026, officers received a report of a disruptive passenger on a flight arriving at Edinburgh Airport. Officers attended and no criminality was established. Advice was provided.”

A spokesperson from Ryanair said: “Crew on this flight from Riga to Edinburgh (May 28) called ahead for police assistance after a passenger became disruptive onboard. The aircraft was met by police and the passenger was removed.

“Ryanair has a strict zero tolerance policy towards passenger misconduct and will continue to take decisive action to combat unruly passenger behaviour, ensuring that all passengers and crew travel in a respectful and stress-free environment, without unnecessary disruption.”

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