Paris plane tries to land four times at Nice and fails due to weather

A flight from Paris to Nice was diverted to Marseille after four failed landing attempts due to windy weather. 

The Air France plane AF7306 was scheduled to leave Paris’ Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport yesterday morning (July 24) at 12:15 and should have arrived at Nice Côte d’Azur at 13:45. 

Strong gusts of wind coming from the south-east meant that upon arriving over Nice, the conditions were too dangerous to safely land the aircraft, reported local media Var-Matin. 

The Air France pilot therefore decided to divert to Marseille, roughly 200km west, where passengers were offered a bus transfer back to the original flight destination.

The altered flight path can be seen on air traffic site Flightradar24. 

This was the only flight yesterday afternoon that was diverted due to the challenging weather conditions.

Read also: EasyJet announces new Nice-Newcastle route for next year

A challenging airport for pilots

The location of Nice airport means that pilots often experience weather-related challenges.

“Due to its proximity to the sea, the mountains and the Var plain, Nice Côte d'Azur airport is subject to sudden fluctuations in wind direction which can lead to difficulties, especially during the landing phase,” reads a statement published on the airport’s website in 2021. 

The airport has since been equipped with a weather forecasting tool acquired by Météo France from Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi Electric Corporation. 

The system is based on LiDAR (light detection and ranging) technology that uses laser beams to measure exact distances and movements in real time. 

The information gathered by the system means weather conditions and their effects can be anticipated “up to 10 minutes in advance,” helping pilots to adapt take-off and landing manoeuvres accordingly. 

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