Lufthansa flights diverted from Germany to Alicante due to windy conditions

In the middle of Storm Leonardo a Lufthansa flight was forced to abandon its landing at Malaga Airport. This is a stark reminder of the impact that strong crosswinds, turbulent weather and high winds have on aviation operations.

Air traffic controllers shared a dramatic video of the tense moment on social media. Visibly, the aircraft was struggling to maintain its direction as it approached the runway in heavily overcast skies. The plane appeared to be tilted. crab manoeuvre The palm trees in the foreground were blown violently by the gusts.

The aircraft remained wobbly in the final minutes of the approach even with its landing gear extended. In order to ensure a safe landing, the crew made a split second decision to perform a go-around. They applied full power and climbed away quickly, following the standard missed approach procedures.

Alicante was the final destination after the crew requested a divert due to gusty crosswinds. Later, the plane returned to Germany. The details of how passengers destined for Malaga had to be re-accommodated are not yet available.

This incident is a great example of how bad weather conditions, such as gusty crosswinds and intense gusts of wind, combined with low atmospheric stability can force decisions that prioritize safety, even during the final phase of landing.

The incident is just one of many recent weather-related disruptions that have occurred in the area. On Monday, just days before, strong winds at Gibraltar Airport caused diversions to Malaga. Both the easyJet flight EZY6671 (scheduled for 10:10) from Birmingham and the British Airways flight BA494 (also scheduled for 10 o’clock) from London Heathrow were diverted to Costa del Sol. After an unsuccessful attempt at Gibraltar, the BA flight landed in the airport around 16 o’clock. Some British passengers had no EES certificate, and were immediately repatriated to the UK. This was because they were technically flying to Gibraltar, but they actually did not.

Storm Leonardo has hit southern Spain in particular Andalucia. It brought torrential rains, flooding risk, road closings, transport chaos and multiple flight diversion at Malaga Costa del Sol Airport.