SOME of the travellers who faced chaos in the skies over Bournemouth as a Ryanair flight aborted landing during Storm Ciara say even flight attendants wept with fright.

As reported, passengers onboard Ryanair flight FR8208, which took off from Václav Havel Airport in Prague, ‘screamed and hyperventilated’ after the plane attempted to set down in Dorset three times on Sunday. Some held hands across the aisles, while flight attendants also burst into tears, it’s claimed.

Eventually, pilots abandoned their attempts altogether, and the plane was diverted to Brussels before returning to Prague. There, passengers claim they had to wait three-and-a-half hours for a voucher to cover one night in a hotel.

Eventually, passengers became so irate security officials were called to the airport.

The airline failed to pay for their taxis to accommodation, and travellers had to pay for bottles of water while the plane was on the tarmac in Brussels, it’s been claimed.

Many of those affected have also shelled out to return home. Andy Gunn, 56, managed to get a flight to Dublin before finally arriving at Bournemouth yesterday. He ended up paying an extra £1,000.

“It was just an absolutely horrendous experience,” he said. “That plane almost crashed trying to land in Bournemouth.

"It was shaking so much I thought it’d split in two.

“I’ve never had an experience like it.”

Mr Gunn said passengers were told by the pilot that, if they chose to disembark in Brussels, they would receive no further support from Ryanair.

“We were told that there’d be Ryanair staff in Prague to help us, but when we got to the airport, the five members of staff there said they don’t work for Ryanair. They told us the airline doesn’t even keep staff permanently at the airport,” he said.

“There were families with young kids there, but we waited for three-and-a-half hours to get a voucher for one night at a hotel.”

Mr Gunn desperately tried to find an alternative, but said flights to cities including London were sold out until the weekend as desperate passengers tried to get home. He eventually got a text from Ryanair offering support – two days later.

“We should never have been allowed to take off in the first place,” he said.

A spokesperson from Ryanair said: “We sincerely apologised for this cancellation, which was entirely beyond our control.”