A two-year-old child was among nine people onboard a Ryanair flight that were injured during severe turbulence caused by challenging weather conditions.
The Ryanair Boeing 737-800, registered EI-EKN, was forced to land at Memmingen Airport (FMM) in Germany on June 4, 2025, at 20:44, where it was met by emergency medical teams.
According to local police, the nine injured persons were aged between two and 59, with three requiring treatment at a nearby hospital. The other injured people were released after receiving outpatient treatment.
A 59-year-old female passenger reported back pain while another woman sustained a head laceration. The two-year-old suffered bruises in the incident, and one Ryanair crew member was reportedly hurt.
A passenger on the flight told BILD: “I’ve never been scared before—but at that moment, I thought the plane was going to break apart or roll over.”
Good afternoon from onboard the delayed Ryanair flight #FR2329 from here in Limoges bound for Leeds/Bradford, today operated by 14.6 year old 737-800 EI-EKN. pic.twitter.com/miPPagizDg
— Newcastle Flyer (@NewcastleFlyer) September 20, 2024
Swabia South/West Police said that the aircraft was diverted to Memmingen Airport as “weather conditions made landing at Munich Airport (MUC) impossible”.
Data from flightradar24 showed Ryanair flight FR8 took off from Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) just before 19:40 but diverted to Memmingen Airport around one hour into the journey.
The Ryanair 737-800 had been due to land at Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) sometime after 21:00. There were 179 passengers and six crew members on board the aircraft.
The Southern Bavaria Aviation Authority was unable to approve a connecting flight, so Ryanair arranged for buses to transport the passengers to Milan.
Local media outlets reported thunderstorms in the area with several houses damaged and there was speculation that a tornado may have been partly responsible.
In a statement to AeroTime, a Ryanair spokesperson said: “FR8 from Berlin to Milan on 4th June diverted to Memmingen after experiencing some air turbulence. The captain called ahead for medical assistance and the aircraft landed normally.
“To get passengers to their final destination as quickly as possible, we arranged for alternative transport from Memmingen to Milan that night, as well as a replacement flight this morning. We sincerely apologise to passengers affected by this diversion.”
