Ryanair flight forced to return to Dublin Airport amid serious issue onboard

A Ryanair flight that was bound for Madrid was forced to turn back to Dublin Airport on Thursday, October 31. 

Ryanair flight FR10 departed Dublin airport just past 8:30am, but was forced to turn back after squawking an emergency.

Passengers travelled for a total of 1 hour and 50 minutes before arriving back to Dublin at 10:21am. 

The pilot reportedly 'squawked 7700' to the control tower, this code indicates that there is a general emergency aboard. 

Depressurisation was confirmed as the issue, according to Irish aviation journalist, Shaun Dunne (Shaun's Aviation), which saw an emergency descent to 10,000 ft.

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Thankfully, no medical assistance was required, with the pilots being happy to vacate the runway upon landing. 

Cork and Shannon airports were both bypassed, given that Dublin airport has Ryanair maintenance facilities, and the fact that there was no injuries or medical emergencies on board, meaning the pilots were not pressured to land as soon as possible. 

The Ryanair flight had a smooth landing, with passengers being taxied to stand 21. 

Ryanair issued a statement after the incident. A spokesperson said: 

“This flight FR10 from Dublin to Madrid (31 Oct) returned to Dublin shortly after take-off, due to a pressurisation system issue.

"In line with standard procedure, the crew deployed oxygen masks, carried out a controlled descent and landed safely in Dublin where passengers disembarked normally.

"To minimise disruption to passengers, a replacement aircraft was arranged to operate this flight from Dublin to Madrid, which departed at 11:53 local time.

"We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused.”