Manchester Ryanair flight makes sharp U-turn following mid-air emergency

The flight bound for Torp, Norway left the airport an hour after is scheduled departure

A flight departing from Manchester Airport sparked concern after declaring an emergency mid-air and turning back shortly after take-off.

The Ryanair service, Flight RK3226, left Manchester at 8.39am, almost an hour behind its scheduled departure, bound for Sandefjord Airport, Torp, in Norway.

The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, appeared to be progressing normally during the early part of the journey. However, around 40 minutes into the flight, while cruising at 37,000 feet over the North Sea, the crew issued a Squawk 7700, the international code indicating a general emergency.

Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. And don’t miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.

The plane then made a sharp U-turn and diverted back to Manchester Airport, the IrishMirror reports.

A spokesperson for Ryanair said: “This flight from Manchester to Oslo Torp (24 Mar) diverted back to Manchester due to a minor technical issue with the aircraft. To minimise disruption, we arranged for a replacement aircraft to operate this flight to Oslo Torp.

“This flight departed for Oslo Torp at 11:21am local time.”