Ryanair flight declares 'low fuel' emergency and diverts amid airport chaos

Ryanair flight declares a 'low fuel' emergency and diverts amid airport chaos after fuel levels fell to dangerously low levels during an aborted approach at Nantes. FR5448 departed Seville at 5:25pm local time yesterday, heading for Nantes, and continued without incident until the final approach around 7:10pm. The crew aborted at the last moment following reports of a sudden obstruction on the runway after a departing plane suffered an engine failure. That affected aircraft, bound for Madrid, reportedly shut down one engine after an engine failure during full thrust, believed to be caused by debris from a burst tyre. After the runway obstruction was managed, air traffic control sent the Ryanair crew into holding patterns at about 4,000 feet for several minutes while the plane consumed fuel. With fuel diminishing, the captain declared a fuel emergency, climbed to 20,000 feet, and was vectored to Brest. The aircraft landed safely in Brest about 2 hours and 40 minutes after departing Seville, while Nantes operations resumed around 11pm after debris was found and cleared.