A Boeing 737 travelling from London Stansted to Kalamata in Greece suffered ‘severe turbulence’ during the flight before crashing into a barrier as it landed at the airport
A Ryanair plane crashed into a barrier on the runway as it landed at a Greek airport, leaving passengers terrified.
The Boeing 737, travelling from London Stansted to Kalamata on Wednesday, suffered “severe turbulence” on the way to the city in southern Greece. And after it landed safely, passengers heard a “loud banging sound” as the aircraft hit a fence.
In the incident, one of the wings was severely damaged, photos shared online show. However, the airline told The Mirror that following inspection and maintenance, the aircraft was able to resume service.
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Sharing details of the incident, a passenger said the crew had informed them that they could face “a bumpy landing – but when they were told that they needed to wait on board for the fire brigade to arrive, they became “scared” as they feared there could be a blaze. Passengers were eventually able to disembark normally, Ryanair said.
A source told The Sun: “The flight took off from London Stansted on Wednesday morning and headed for Kalamata. There was severe turbulence during the flight, but it managed to land on the runway at Kalamata International.
“The crew said it was going to be a bumpy landing.” The passenger continued: “But while it was taxiing down the runway towards the red and white barrier at the end, the plane turned and everyone heard this loud banging sound. You could feel the impact.”
After the wing was damaged, passengers were told to stay put and await instructions from the flight’s crew. However, people became “scared” when they heard that the fire brigade was on its way, the source continued.
They said: “There was an announcement that everyone had to wait on the plane for the fire brigade. With the wing damaged the way it was, why wouldn’t you evacuate the plane first? Everyone was scared – it was the fact they said wait on the plane even though there was clearly a risk of fire.”
Ryanair told The Mirror in a statement: “This flight from London Stansted to Kalamata (18 June) was taxiing to stand when the wing tip came in contact with a fence at Kalamata Airport.
“The aircraft subsequently continued to stand, and passengers disembarked normally. The aircraft then underwent the required inspections and maintenance prior to its return to service.”