The flight was originally due to land at Manchester Airport (Picture: Shutterstock)
TUI passengers feared they ‘wouldn’t see their families again’ when a ‘trainee pilot’ was forced to make a landing during a snowstorm.
The flight from Tenerife was originally due to land at Manchester Airport at 8pm on March 9.
But because of extreme weather conditions it was forced to divert to East Midlands Airport near Nottingham.
Passengers were left ‘screaming and crying’ because of extreme turbulence when Storm Larissa battered the UK.
TUI has now emailed passengers and offered free counselling to help with any trauma from the flight.
Gareth Salter, who was on board, said: ‘People were panicking, babies were screaming, women were crying. There were some young girls behind us in floods of tears.
‘I was saying my prayers, to be honest. I didn’t think I’d see my family again. It was just awful.’
Storm Larissa had caused heavy snow and blizzard like conditions across large parts of the north of England.
The flight landed amid heavy snow in the north of England (Picture: MEN Media)
Flights were delayed at Manchester airport while drivers remained stranded on busy roads like the M62.
Passengers said they were not told they had been diverted until they landed.
Gareth said: ‘We knew from the news that the weather was going to be bad, but as soon as were started coming in to land it just didn’t feel right. There were crosswinds and we were buffeted about in the turbulence.
‘I knew it wasn’t Manchester as soon as we landed. Then they came on the speaker and said we were at East Midlands and that it was a trainee pilot and asked us to give him a clap for landing us safely.
‘People were clapping because they were still in shock.’
Gareth claims passengers were abandoned at East Midlands Airport and had to find their own hotels and way home.
But TUI denies these claims and says transfers were arranged to take passengers to Manchester Airport.
The travel firm says passengers were offered the choice to make their own way home and claim the costs back or were offered accommodation where it was unsafe to travel.
TUI say they offered passengers transport back to Manchester Airport (Picture: MEN Media)
Gareth said him and his partner got a hotel for the night and travelled by by train to Manchester at 4pm the next day.
‘It was blizzard conditions outside. The whole place was in uproar,’ he said.
‘Even Greggs stayed open and baked another load of food for everyone. There was a two to three hour wait at the taxi rank, but with the weather being as it was everybody should have been put up in a hotel.
‘It was frightening experience to begin with, then it just got more and more bizarre as it went on.’
A TUI spokesperson said: ‘We can confirm that TOM2477 from Tenerife to Manchester Airport on March 9 diverted to East Midlands Airport, due to adverse weather conditions during the approach back to Manchester.
‘Customers arrived safely into East Midlands Airport and were made aware of the diversion on arrival.
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‘Transfers were organised to take customers back to Manchester Airport and accommodation was offered where necessary. Customers received regular updates throughout the evening.
‘We’d like to apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank customers for their patience and understanding. The safety of our customers and crew is our number one priority.
‘We would like to assure customers that instances of this nature are rare.
‘TUI has offered all those on the plane counselling.’
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‘People were panicking, babies were screaming, women were crying.’