A TUI flight from Mexico was forced to declare a fuel emergency while approaching Birmingham Airport after a series of errors, an investigation has found.
The Boeing 787, carrying 291 passengers and 10 crew, was en route from Cancun to Manchester but had to divert to East Midlands Airport due to severe weather at Manchester. However, East Midlands Airport mistakenly told the pilot it couldn’t accommodate the aircraft, leading to a second diversion to Birmingham Airport.
Upon arrival, the pilot aborted the first landing attempt due to high winds and was then delayed further while waiting for a Wizz Air flight to land first. This left the aircraft critically low on fuel, prompting the pilot to issue a ‘Mayday, Mayday, Mayday fuel’ distress call.
An Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) probe found that air traffic control at Birmingham missed a chance to prioritise the TUI flight due to a complex and high workload scenario.
The plane eventually landed with less than two-thirds of its planned minimum fuel, despite an additional 15 minutes’ worth being loaded in Cancun. The AAIB also noted that more fuel could have been carried, as the flight had spare capacity at departure.
In response, East Midlands and Birmingham airports have revised their procedures for handling diversions and aircraft emergencies following internal reviews.
A statement from the AAIB confirmed:
“The actions taken addressed the process for determining and communicating airport capacity for diversions and prioritisation for aircraft that have declared an emergency.”
