Ryanair flight circles over Croatian airport as controller is late

Passengers aboard a Ryanair flight from London to Osijek experienced a tense 20-minute delay when the plane had to circle overhead because the air traffic controller had not arrived for his shift. The incident, which occurred on Saturday, led passengers to describe the situation as a "real drama."

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The situation became serious enough that the crew informed us about a possible diversion to Budapest if they could not establish contact with the competent services at Osijek Airport.

The flight crew considered diverting to Budapest as a potential alternative if communication with Osijek Airport could not be established. While the plane eventually landed safely in Osijek, the unexpected delay and the possibility of a diversion caused significant anxiety among those on board.

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We emphasize that this is an isolated event. When the irregularity was identified, the situation was quickly and effectively resolved using prescribed procedures, and the plane landed safely at Osijek Airport with a total delay of 12 minutes.

Croatian Air Traffic Control (HKZP) acknowledged the incident, attributing it to an "individual error" by an employee who was late for their shift. HKZP stated that the situation was quickly resolved according to established procedures, and the flight landed with only a 12-minute delay. They refuted claims of a lack of communication, asserting the plane remained in contact with Zagreb's air traffic control center throughout.

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Flight safety was not compromised at any moment, and the landing in Osijek was successfully carried out with a minor delay.

HKZP emphasized that flight safety was not compromised at any point and announced that appropriate disciplinary measures would be taken. The organization expressed regret for the operational issues caused by the delay.

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Croatian Air Traffic Control regrets the operational difficulties encountered.