Ryanair plane landing at Manchester Airport during Storm Eunice forced to divert... 850 MILES away to Bordeaux

Passenger planes were reportedly forced to abort landings at Manchester Airport in Storm Eunice's fierce swirling winds today (February 18).

It's understood one flight was forced to continue north to Glasgow Airport as a result.

And passengers reported a Ryanair flight from Fuerteventura to Manchester diverted to Bordeaux in France - 850 miles away - because of the stormy weather.

Manchester Airport reported dozens of cancelled flights - 46 in total both outbound and inbound - but said the bulk were 'preemptive'.

Many cancellations were also thought to be due to adverse weather at a flight's point of origin, rather than conditions in Manchester.

A spokesman said the airport was operating a normal, although the ongoing situation would be monitored.

Aviation analytics firm Cirium said at least 436 flights due to take off or land at UK airports were cancelled on Friday.

They said Heathrow suffered the worst flight disruption, with a fifth of all flights cancelled.

That was followed by London City (16 per cent) and Manchester (10 per cent).

It came as more than 200,000 people tuned in to a YouTube channel livestreaming aircraft battling with high winds as they attempt to land at London’s Heathrow Airport.

A Manchester Airport spokesman said: "Manchester Airport continues to operate as normal, and we will monitor the situation throughout the afternoon and evening.

"A number of airlines have preemptively cancelled or rearranged their flights today for a variety of reasons.

"As always, we advise passengers to stay in contact with their airline for the most up-to-date status of their flight.

"We are also strongly encouraging passengers to allow extra time for their journey to the airport today, and throughout the weekend,