A TUI flight carrying over 300 passengers came within 20 minutes of running out of fuel after failing to land at Manchester Airport due to high winds.

A recent report revealed that the Boeing 787 plane reached Birmingham Airport just in time, thanks to the pilot’s decision to load extra fuel before taking off after studying the weather forecast.

When it finally landed after its journey from Mexico, the aircraft was 35% below the recommended final reserve fuel limit. The passenger plane, TOM173, departed from Cancun at 5.50pm local time on December 20, 2023, for an overnight flight to Manchester.

Despite being informed of strong winds in England, the crew believed they would dissipate by around 6am, with the aircraft scheduled to land at 7.35am.

However, as a precautionary measure, they decided to load an additional 2,170 lbs of fuel, equivalent to about 15 minutes of flying time. Upon contacting Manchester Air Traffic Control at 7.18am, they were instructed to circle above the airport, joining seven other planes already in holding patterns.

The controller informed the pilot that a landing time could not be provided due to the uncertain delay. Wind speeds were reported to be around 32mph, with gusts reaching up to 47mph, reports the Manchester Evening News.

At 7.28am, the pilot contacted East Midlands Radar, indicating a potential need to divert there, only to be told three minutes later that “we cannot accept your size aircraft”.

At 7.41am, six minutes past the expected touchdown, the decision was made to reroute the plane to Birmingham Airport but with merely an hour’s worth of fuel remaining. Upon initial radar contact, the pilot declared: “We are gonna be on minimum fuel”.

By 8.05am, clearance for landing in Birmingham was given, and the aircraft began its descent. However, it pulled up once again due to wind speeds gusting at 43mph. During the ascent, the crew urgently radioed Birmingham radar: ‘TOM173 MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY, TOM173 MAYDAY FUEL’.

After being told to ascend to 4,000ft before making another landing attempt, the plane safely reached Birmingham at 8.26am, with only 2,750lbs of fuel left, equating to roughly 20 additional minutes in the air. The flight, initially scheduled for eight hours and 45 minutes, took nine hours and 36 minutes to complete, carrying 301 individuals onboard, including 10 crew members.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has since published a report examining the event, criticising the delayed action from an air traffic controller in Birmingham. Despite the controller coping with a ‘complex and high workload scenario’, the report determined that there was indeed a missed chance to give earlier priority to TOM173 while repositioning a Whizz Air flight.

According to the report, TOM173 found itself on an extended route despite declaring a fuel emergency. The AAIB’s findings revealed: “While allowing for the contingencies required by the regulations, operators seek to minimise the carriage of fuel necessary for the flight, owing to the fuel burn penalty from carrying excess fuel.

“Nevertheless, the crew identified a threat of high winds and the potential for delays on arrival at MAN.(Manchester). Incorrectly believing that the winds would dissipate from 0600 hrs, the commander requested some extra fuel, equivalent to about an additional 15 minutes of fuel. Given the aircraft weights, the crew had the option to load significantly more fuel.

“The consequential reduction in fuel remaining had the effect of reducing the options available to achieve a safe landing, if the aircraft had encountered wind shear on the second approach. The serious incident was the result of strong winds generating difficult conditions at the time of the arrival of the flight into the UK.

“Safety action has been taken to clarify the process for determining and communicating airport capacity for diversions, and for the prioritisation of aircraft that have declared an emergency.”

The Manchester Evening News has reached out to TUI for a statement.