Flight to Lanzarote diverts to Fuerteventura due to wind
A Vueling flight travelling from Barcelona to Lanzarote was forced to abort its landing and divert to Fuerteventura on Thursday evening after strong winds made it unsafe to land at César Manrique–Lanzarote Airport.
The moment was captured on video by the YouTube channel @LanzaroteWebcam, showing the aircraft attempting to land at around 9.20 pm, before pulling up and abandoning the manoeuvre. The plane was subsequently diverted to Fuerteventura Airport due to adverse weather conditions affecting Lanzarote.
The diversion was caused by strong winds associated with Storm Francis, which is affecting large parts of the Canary Islands. After landing in Fuerteventura, the aircraft remained on the ground while pilots made two further attempts to return to Lanzarote. Both attempts were unsuccessful due to the continuing wind conditions.
Passengers were forced to spend the night inside Fuerteventura Airport and were left waiting to see whether they would be able to reach Lanzarote on a scheduled flight on Friday morning. Some travellers chose not to wait and instead travelled by ferry, arriving on the island by sea.
The situation has led to anger and frustration among those who have been affected. One passenger said that Vueling left them “without food and without a hotel”, describing the experience as “a disgrace and a disaster”.
Another passenger described moments of fear during the attempted landing, explaining that they could see other aircraft landing successfully while their own flight was unable to do so. They also said the tension increased when the plane appeared to touch the runway before taking off again, adding to the anxiety on board.
Earlier in the evening, the flight’s commander reportedly informed passengers that the diversion decision had been taken purely for safety reasons due to the wind conditions in Lanzarote. The island had already been placed on pre-alert for wind, rain, and storms, with forecasts warning of moderate to strong southerly and south-westerly winds that would complicate landing operations.
At the time of the incident, passengers remained either on board or inside the terminal in Fuerteventura, awaiting improved conditions and authorisation to continue the journey.
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