A British Airways flight to Gibraltar was forced to divert to Malaga after strong crosswinds caused the plane to roll heavily from side to side. Alarming footage shows the pilot’s intense struggle to land the swaying jet.
The BA492 flight from London was scheduled to land in Gibraltar on Monday but intense crosswinds forced the pilots to instead fly the Airbus A320 to the Spanish city of Malaga.
Disconcerting footage of the plane rocking violently in the seemingly calm blue sky was filmed by gobsmacked bystanders on the Spanish coast, while a passenger on board caught an alarming clip of their experience inside the cabin.
Gibraltar airport is notoriously difficult to land planes at because of the airport’s surrounding terrain known as ‘The Rock’, which can cause turbulence with strong winds at low altitudes.
UPDATE #BA492 British Airways:
The flight has landed safely and passengers have left the aircraft normally. Due to strong winds in the Gibraltar area, our pilots decided to land in Malaga as a precaution. The safety of our customers and crew is always our number one priority. pic.twitter.com/7YpxIOs7cN
— Flight Alerts (@FlightAlerts_) February 25, 2019
A spokesperson for BA released a statement saying “at no point was there a risk to safety”.
“Due to strong winds in the Gibraltar area, our pilots decided to land in Malaga as a precaution,” they added. “The safety of our customers and crew is always our number one priority”.
Passengers were instead transferred from Malaga airport to Gibraltar International by bus, a journey that should take about 90 minutes.
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