An airline has offered passengers counseling after a flight was diverted when it was hit by 'severe wind-speeds' and high turbulence

• TUI has offered counseling to passengers on board a diverted flight, per an airline spokesperson.
• The flight from Tenerife to Manchester was hit by "severe wind-speeds" during its descent.

Airline TUI has offered all passengers on board a diverted flight from Tenerife to Manchester counseling after the plane was hit by "severe wind-speeds," an airline spokesperson told Insider.

The March 9 flight was diverted to East Midlands Airport – 80 miles away from Manchester airport in central and northwest England – after it was caught in the severe weather during its approach to Manchester airport, the airline confirmed.

Passengers were "screaming" and "crying" during the incident, one traveler on board the flight, Gareth Slater, told Manchester Evening News.

Slater told the local news outlet: "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."

The TUI spokesperson called the incident "rare" and said passenger's "safety was never compromised."

They continued: "Once safely landed, the pilot entered the cabin and updated passengers as to what had happened, and ground transportation was arranged for them to continue on to Manchester that evening, although we apologize if there were any further delays with the arranged transportation.

"TUI has offered all those on the plane counseling from CCP (Centre for Crisis Psychology) should they need it," they said. The CCP specializes in trauma aftercare.

Earlier this month, a Lufthansa flight from Austin to Frankfurt was forced to make an emergency landing after severe turbulence. At least seven passengers on board the flight were injured and sent to the hospital as a result of the turbulence, according to Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.