Arctic explorer Pen Hadow and his family were among scores of British holidaymakers who thought they were “going to die” when the Ryanair jet in which they were travelling was forced to make an emergency landing in France late last night.

Sixteen people were hospitalised and treated with ear problems after the plane, en route from England to Spain, was forced to land at Limoges International Airport in western France as a "safety precaution", following the loss of cabin pressure.

Mr Hadow, who became the first man to walk solo and unsupported from the northern coast of Canada to the North Pole in 2003, was on board the flight, from Bristol to Barcelona-Girona, along with his wife, Mary, and their son and daughter.

He said there was a loud sound as the cabin pressure dropped and there was a “sudden drop in temperature and a rush of cold air” as the plane plummeted.

“You think to yourself: God, is there a hole in the aircraft? It actually felt like somebody had opened a door in the back of the aircraft,” he said.

Mr Hadow, whose son was one of those taken to hospital, said a number of oxygen masks inside the plane had failed and many of the passengers appeared to be in shock.

"I would say some people thought we were going to die - that is how frightening it was. The woman sitting in the seats in front of us was whimpering," he said.

He added some people had cried with relief when the plane landed safely, while others had clapped.

A Ryanair spokeswoman said flight staff had followed the correct procedures.

"Ryanair confirms that the FR9336 from Bristol airport to Barcelona Girona airport on the evening of August 25 experienced an inflight depressurisation incident which caused the oxygen masks on board to deploy," she said.

"As a safety precaution the captain descended and diverted the aircraft to Limoges Airport at approximately 23.30 local French time.

"All 168 passengers disembarked safely upon landing. A total of 16 passengers together with five accompanying family members have transferred, at their request, to a local hospital complaining of ear ache."

The spokeswoman said a replacement aircraft would take passengers on to Spain this morning.

It is the second passenger scare in a week for the Dublin-based budget airline. On Friday, a live gun cartridge was reportedly found by a passenger on board a plane which was about to take off from Dublin airport. The plane was evacuated immediately.

It also comes amid troubled times for the aviation industry.

Last week a Spanair jet, which was packed with families bound for holidays on the Canary Islands, crashed during take-off, killing 154 people on board and badly injuring 18.

And Australia’s major airline Qantas, encountered problems when a Boeing 747 flying from London to Melbourne was forced to make an emergency landing in Manila last month after an oxygen cylinder exploded mid-air, ripping a massive hold in the jumbo jet’s fuselage. None of the 346 passengers or 19 crew were injured.

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