Ryanair forced to alter course after nine-year-old suffers serious burns on flight

The pilot was forced into making a diversion to Memmingen airport in Germany, telling passengers and crew to prepare for landing as emergency services were scrambled to the runway below.

A local police report confirmed that the nine-year-old had suffered third-degree burns as a result of the horror accident, and had to be evacuated by air ambulance from the airport for urgent treatment.

A further police investigation revealed the burns were "not the fault of a third party" and that the boy "scalded himself through carelessness".

Ryanair flight FR2475 had left Stansted just before 7am local time.

But while passengers had expected to be in sunny Southern Italy some two and a half hours later, they found themselves in Germany just after 90 minutes into their trip.

The trip was proceeding as normal when the accident forced the plane to take a sharp left turn over the small village of Uttenweiler in Baden-Württemberg at 8.20am UK time (9.20 in Germany) - landing just over 10 minutes later.

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At Memmingen, the emergency landing left would-be holidaymakers subjected to disruption as other flights had to be moved to make way for the unexpected arrival.

But after 90 minutes on the ground in Germany, the plane eventually returned to its original course.

FR2475 touched down in Brindisi just before 12.30pm - about two hours later than planned.

The unfortunate nine-year-old's third-degree or "full thickness" burns could have serious consequences, with the NHS warning that children younger than 10 fall at a "greater risk" from the effects of burns.

The Ryanair flight's extended delay time will only add to some eyebrow-raising figures for the carrier's FR2475 route.

Data compiled by statisticians at Cirium for Ryanair flights from May to July this year states that 42 per cent of the London to Brindisi trips experienced some form of setback.

Of the 50 flights in Cirium's recent data, seven suffered "excessive" delays, three were "very late" and 11 were late - but the airline itself has boasted of an 87 per cent "on-time performance" rate of its 105,000 flights in the last month.

Speaking on the incident, a spokesperson for Ryanair said: "There was no 'emergency landing' – this flight from Stanstead to Brindisi (23 July) diverted to Memmingen Airport due to a medical event onboard.

"The crew called ahead for medical assistance and the passenger disembarked for treatment upon arrival at Memmingen Airport, before this flight continued to Brindisi."