British tourists on a Ryanair flight were left in the lurch in Spain when air traffic controllers clocked off rather than waiting an additional 15 minutes for a diverted flight. The plane travelling from Malaga to Manchester had to reroute because of a medical emergency on board. Flight RK3209 was about an hour into its journey when it was forced to make an unexpected landing in Bilbao.

Passengers and crew were then left abandoned in the Spanish city after air traffic control staff refused to delay their home, according to one person on board. Stranded passenger Sara Diggle told The Independent: “They went home so we were unloaded, left high and dry to make our own arrangements for hotels.”

Despite frustrations, an airport spokesperson said revised flight plan “exceeded operational hours”. They told the outlet: “I can confirm that the flight to Manchester departed on Sunday, at 13.01 local time.

“It didn’t depart the night before because the flight plan exceeded the operational hours of Bilbao airport.”

A Ryanair spokesperson added: “This flight from Malaga to Manchester diverted to Bilbao after a passenger became ill onboard.

“The aircraft was met by medics upon arrival and this passenger was offloaded and transported to a nearby hospital. Passengers were notified of the diversion and advised of their options.

“Despite Ryanair’s efforts to arrange accommodation for passengers, availability was limited, and passengers were advised that they could arrange individual accommodation that they could claim back receipted expenses on Ryanair.com.

“This flight departed for Manchester the following day.”

The incident comes after Ryanair slashed thousands of flights to Spain due to a dispute over airport fees. The budget carrier cited “excessive” charges by Spanish airport operator Aena for its recent actions.