A Ryanair flight from Seville to Nantes declared a low-fuel emergency and diverted to Brest after the runway at Nantes Atlantique Airport was temporarily closed by another aircraft.
Flight FR5448, operated by a Boeing 737-800 registered EI-EBK, departed Seville Airport at around 5:35 p.m. on 6 July and was approaching Nantes shortly after 7:00 p.m. when the crew was forced to abort its landing.
The go-around followed an emergency landing by an Iberia regional aircraft, reported to be a Mitsubishi CRJ-1000, which left debris on the runway. As Nantes has only one runway available for commercial operations, arriving aircraft were unable to land until the runway was cleared.
Aircraft Held Before Diverting
After the missed approach, the Ryanair aircraft initially climbed and entered a holding pattern while air traffic control assessed the situation at Nantes. However, when it became clear that the runway would not reopen in time, the crew declared an emergency due to low fuel.
The pilots selected transponder code 7700, the international emergency code, and diverted northwest to Brest Bretagne Airport. Air traffic control gave the aircraft priority handling for the diversion.
Tracking data showed the Boeing 737 climbing to around 20,000 feet before heading toward Brest, where it landed safely around two hours and 40 minutes after leaving Seville.
Nantes Runway Closure Triggered Disruption
The incident was caused by the temporary closure of Nantes Atlantique Airport’s only runway following the Iberia aircraft’s emergency landing. With no second runway available, the Ryanair crew had limited options once the aircraft could no longer continue holding near Nantes.
No injuries were reported, and the Ryanair aircraft landed safely in Brest. The emergency declaration was a precautionary measure linked to fuel reserves after the extended holding and diversion.
The event highlights how a runway closure at a single-runway airport can quickly affect inbound traffic, particularly when aircraft are already on approach and have limited time to wait for operations to resume.
