TUI flights: Boeing 787 flight from Mexico declares 'May Day' after it nearly runs out of fuel before landing at Birmingham Airport

A TUI flight, carrying over 300 passengers, was just 20 minutes away from running out of fuel after it failed to land at Manchester Airport due to high winds. The Boeing 787 plane managed to reach Birmingham Airport with only minutes to spare.

This was thanks to the pilot's decision to load extra fuel before take-off after studying the weather forecast, a new report reveals. By the time it landed following its journey from Mexico, the aircraft was 35% below the recommended final reserve fuel limit. The passenger plane, flight number TOM173, departed from Cancun at 5.50pm local time on December 20, 2023, for an overnight flight to Manchester.

Despite being informed of strong winds in England, the crew believed they would dissipate by around 6am, with the aircraft scheduled to land at 7.35am. As a precaution, they chose to load an additional 2,170lbs of fuel, equivalent to about 15 minutes of flying, according to the Mirror.

At 7.18am, they first contacted Manchester Air Traffic Control and were instructed to circle above the airport, behind seven planes already in line. The controller informed the pilot that a landing time could not be provided due to the unknown delay.

Wind speeds were around 32mph, with gusts reaching up to 47mph. At 7.28am, the pilot contacted East Midlands Radar indicating a possible diversion there, but three minutes later, they were told 'we cannot accept your size aircraft', reports the Manchester Evening News.

At 7.41am, six minutes past the expected landing time, the flight was diverted to Birmingham Airport with approximately one hour of fuel remaining. Upon initial radar contact, the pilot reported: "We are gonna be on minimum fuel".

The aircraft attempted to land at 8.05am but had to abort due to high winds gusting at 43mph. During the go-around, the crew declared an emergency with 'TOM173 MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY, TOM173 MAYDAY FUEL'. After being directed to climb to 4,000ft for another landing attempt, the plane safely touched down in Birmingham at 8.26am with 2,750lbs of fuel left, equating to about 20 minutes' worth of flying time. The journey, which was meant to take eight hours and 45 minutes, ended up lasting nine hours and 36 minutes, carrying 301 passengers, including 10 crew members.

A report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has since revealed that air traffic control at Birmingham should have given earlier priority to the flight. The investigation determined that the controller was dealing with a 'complex and high workload scenario', causing a missed chance to prioritise TOM173 while managing the positioning of a Wizz Air aircraft.