BBC presenter's 'flight from hell' after Storm Isha diversion

BBC South West presenter Ollie Yates said people were crying on his flight which was diverted after an aborted landing at Bristol

A BBC presenter has described his "flight from hell" after Storm Isha forced a pilot to divert to another airport.

BBC South West presenter Ollie Yates was travelling to Bristol Airport from Krakow, Poland, on Sunday during strong winds with Buzz Airlines.

Mr Yates said the pilot made multiple attempts to land at Bristol Airport, before diverting to Stansted Airport.

An airline spokesperson advised people to check the Ryanair app for updates.

Mr Yates said "the drama started" as they began the descent.

"I got on board the flight, lovely beautiful blue skies in Poland and then as we were taking off, the captain announcement came that there was a 50/50 chance we would be landing in Bristol," he told BBC Radio Devon.

"There was a lot of anxiety, there was panic, people were crying.

"It was scary. And after a couple of attempts, a lot of movement of the plane, pulling up very fast, it set off a lot of panic."

• Storm Isha batters UK with strong winds and rain

• Power outages and travel disruption after storm

Bristol Airport said it experienced gusts of up to 69mph on Sunday evening.

After attempting to land in Bristol at about 18:30 GMT, Mr Yates said the captain announced they would be diverted to Stansted Airport instead.

The plane landed at the London international airport on the second attempt at about 20:30 GMT.

Buzz Airlines operates within the Ryanair Group.

A spokesperson for Ryanair said it is working to re-accommodate affected passengers and advised all passengers due to travel to/from the UK or Ireland on Monday to check their Ryanair app for the latest updates on their flight.

The pilot made multiple attempts at landing at Bristol Airport before diverting to Stansted

There were 17 flights cancelled at Bristol Airport on Sunday, while seven were diverted.

There were two cancellations on Monday - both KLM flights to Amsterdam.

"People just wanted to land safely. Which we did in the end and the captain did an amazing job, but it was nerve-racking," said Mr Yates.

Even when on the ground, passengers were still unable to leave the plane for another two hours because the winds were too high to attach the stairs and get everyone off the plane safely, he added.

Mr Yates eventually managed to hire a car, arriving at Bristol Airport at about 05:00 GMT and getting back to his home in Devon at about 07:00 GMT.

"There will be a few people [from that flight] who will be thinking 'I don't want to fly anytime soon'," Mr Yates said.

Bristol Airport said Sunday's disruption may have "knock-on effects" for those travelling on Monday, and has urged customers to check with their airline for the latest information.

The Met Office said the highest recorded wind speed during Storm Isha was 99mph at Brizlee Wood in Northumberland with gusts of 90mph at Capel Curig in Snowdonia on Sunday.

The Met Office's warnings related to Storm Isha have lifted but a new storm, called Jocelyn, is expected to hit parts of the UK and Ireland from Tuesday, with more warnings for rain and strong winds.