The flight was originally due to land at Manchester Airport (Picture: Shutterstock)

TUI passengers feared they ‘wouldn’t see their families again’ when a ‘trainee pilot’ was forced to make a landing during a snowstorm.

The flight from Tenerife was originally due to land at Manchester Airport at 8pm on March 9.

But because of extreme weather conditions it was forced to divert to East Midlands Airport near Nottingham.

Passengers were left ‘screaming and crying’ because of extreme turbulence when Storm Larissa battered the UK.

TUI has now emailed passengers and offered free counselling to help with any trauma from the flight.

Gareth Salter, who was on board, said: ‘People were panicking, babies were screaming, women were crying. There were some young girls behind us in floods of tears.

‘I was saying my prayers, to be honest. I didn’t think I’d see my family again. It was just awful.’

Storm Larissa had caused heavy snow and blizzard like conditions across large parts of the north of England.

The flight landed amid heavy snow in the north of England (Picture: MEN Media)

Flights were delayed at Manchester airport while drivers remained stranded on busy roads like the M62.

Passengers said they were not told they had been diverted until they landed.

Gareth said: ‘We knew from the news that the weather was going to be bad, but as soon as were started coming in to land it just didn’t feel right. There were crosswinds and we were buffeted about in the turbulence.

‘I knew it wasn’t Manchester as soon as we landed. Then they came on the speaker and said we were at East Midlands and that it was a trainee pilot and asked us to give him a clap for landing us safely.

‘People were clapping because they were …read more

Source:: Metro News