A TERRIFIED couple have spoken of how their lives "flashed before their eyes" when the plane they were on was forced to make an emergency landing.

David and Adele Gallagher were flying back from a holiday in Portugal when the Jet2 757 got into difficulties.

The plane, which was bound for Leeds Bradford Airport, was instead forced to divert to Bordeaux.

A cabin pressure failure, about an hour into the flight, meant the jet had to descend within minutes from 30,000 to 8,000 feet.

Oxygen masks came down as panic spread among the 200-plus passengers.

"It really was a terrifying, life-changing moment," said Mr Gallagher, 49, who with his wife Adele owns David Gallagher Funeral Directors in Keighley.

"The captain made an announcement that all cabin staff were to be seated and at that precise moment the oxygen masks dropped for us to use.

"You're made aware of these emergency procedures, but you never actually expect to have to go through them.

"You could feel the plane dropping.

"It was horrendous – the worst experience of my life.

"When we landed there was massive relief. Everyone applauded and cheered.

"The captain and the cabin crew were absolutely fantastic, as were the French authorities."

Some passengers were given medical treatment on arrival at Bordeaux Airport.

"Both myself and Adele have sinus problems and one of my ears is still blocked," said Mr Gallagher.

"We were offered medical attention, but didn't need it."

The plane had departed from Faro early on Friday afternoon for what was scheduled to be a two hours 40 minutes flight.

Following the emergency landing, Jet2 sent a replacement plane from Manchester Airport to take the passengers to Leeds Bradford, where they eventually arrived at 9.45pm.

A Jet2 spokesman said: "Flight LS252 from Faro to Leeds Bradford diverted to Bordeaux Airport on Friday due to a technical fault.

"The flight crew followed standard procedure and made a controlled descent before landing safely.

"We would like to emphasise that at no point was the safety of anyone on board compromised.

"A replacement aircraft was flown to Bordeaux so customers could continue their journey home, and we would like to apologise to all those passengers affected.

"The aircraft will remain on the ground and a team of engineers is carrying out a thorough investigation into the cause of the fault. At all times the safety of our customers is our number one priority."