Storm Isha nightmare as passengers suffer flights 'from hell' in 99mph winds

22 January 2024 , 10:33

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Storm Isha nightmare as passengers suffer flights 'from hell' in 99mph winds

Plane passengers suffered flights “from hell” as winds hit 99mph during Storm Isha.

Pilots trying to land in the UK during the ‘danger to life’ storm are believed to have ended up in Paris, Cologne in Germany and Budapest. BBC Spotlight presenter Ollie Yates tweeted: “Just had flight from hell - Krakow to Bristol (failed) to Stansted (after multiple attempts).

“Tears, prayers, panic attacks and a stand off over plans for passengers to stay on the plane try Bristol again if that failed back to Krakow. Glad to be on the ground”

Other passengers said they ended up on a plane which was supposed to be a 45 minute flight from Manchester to Dublin, for nine hours. On the ground, thousands of homes were left without power and transport was in chaos as trains were cancelled.

Now there are fears of more storms to come making it a record season. The Met Office said Isha was the ninth storm of the season but we could get the 10th as early as Tuesday, Storm Jocelyn blows in on Tuesday.

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During Storm Isha, a top wind speed of 99mph was recorded at Brizlee Wood, near Alnwick in Northumberland in the early hours of Monday morning. Severe gales left 5,000 homes without power in the North West of England, hitting areas like Chorley, Preston and Warrington.

Pilots struggled across the UK as Storm Isha took hold (Andrew McCaren/LNP)

The rail network was disrupted after garden sheds, fence panels, trampolines and patio furniture ended up on the tracks. Steve White, managing director of Southeastern Railway tweeted: “Storm Isha brought wind speeds in excess of 70 mph to our network and deposited at least 15 trees, one greenhouse and the obligatory trampoline on our network. “

One tree fell in front of their train at Hayes station. Stephen McClure, a retired air traffic controller, pointed out on Sunday night: “Currently Storm Isha has the highest wind speeds on Earth.”

Lucy Thornton