Ryanair 3 hour-flight to nowhere

BARCELONA / PARIS — Passengers aboard Ryanair flight FR3121 experienced an unexpected round trip on Friday, October 23, 2026, after severe weather conditions over northern France forced their Boeing 737-800 to return to its departure airport without ever touching down at its destination.

Flight FR3121 departed Barcelona–El Prat Airport (BCN) perfectly on schedule at 11:10 CEST, bound for Paris Beauvais Airport (BVA). The Boeing 737-800 bearing registration EI-EPD climbed smoothly into its standard cruising altitude of 34,000 feet as it made its way northward over French airspace.

Caught in Storm Austen

However, as the aircraft approached northern France, conditions deteriorated rapidly due to the arrival of Storm Austen.

Upon reaching the Paris region, ground control informed the flight crew that Paris Beauvais Airport was experiencing severe, hazardous weather conditions, including severe wind gusts exceeding 47 knots (approx. 54 mph / 87 km/h). Due to safety limits regarding crosswinds and severe turbulence on approach, the aircraft was unable to begin its descent into Beauvais.

Holding Pattern and Diversion Decision

In hopes of a break in the weather, the flight crew entered a holding pattern, circling at 20,000 feet for approximately 25 minutes.

When weather telemetry confirmed that Storm Austen’s fierce wind conditions were not subsiding, the crew made the tactical safety decision to divert. Rather than diverting to a nearby regional airport facing similar storm disruption across northern France, the aircraft flew all the way back to Barcelona.

The aircraft landed safely back at Barcelona–El Prat Airport approximately three hours after its initial takeoff. Affected passengers were provided assistance and rebooking options upon their return to Spain.

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