A Ryanair flight travelling from Fuerteventura to London Stansted was diverted to Tenerife South Airport yesterday afternoon (Saturday) following concerns that the aircraft might have experienced a tail strike during take-off.
The incident was reported by the crew and later confirmed by Air Traffic Controllers on the social media platform X.
According to the statement from the controllers, an inspection of the runway in Fuerteventura revealed no signs of an impact. This information was relayed to the crew, who, as a precautionary measure, opted to divert the aircraft to Tenerife South for the plane to be inspected.
The diversion was necessary to allow the plane to burn off excess fuel before attempting a safe landing.
Air traffic controllers coordinated the approach of flight FR610 to Runway 07 at Tenerife South. Other flights were instructed to hold west of the island, and all departures were temporarily suspended until the situation was resolved.
The plane landed without incident, and the runway was cleared shortly afterwards. Normal airport operations resumed within minutes.
Fortunately, the inspection showed that there was no damage to the aircraft, and they were able to continue their journey to England, all be it a couple of hours behind schedule.
This precautionary action ensured the safety of all passengers and crew on board, highlighting the effectiveness of the safety protocols in place for such incidents.
