THIS is the nail-biting moment a Ryanair pilot aborts his landing as his plane is battered by high winds during Spain's killer Storm Gloria.

In dramatic fashion, the video shows the Boeing 737 swaying from side to side as it prepared land before the pilot headed for the skies again.

Local reports said the aircraft was forced to land at another airport because of the adverse weather conditions.

The astonishing footage of the manoeuvre — known as a go-around — was posted on YouTube by plane spotter Javier Rullan Ruano at Valencia's Manises Airport.

"It was a very complicated day at Valencia Airport due to Storm Gloria, with numerous go-arounds and many detours to other airports," he recalled.

"Only a few pilots managed to land in those conditions with crosswinds and 49 knot gusts."

Only a few pilots managed to land in those conditions with crosswinds and 49 knot gusts

In aviation, a go-around is an aborted landing of an aircraft that is on its final approach.

It can either be initiated by the pilot flying or requested by air traffic control for various reasons, such as an unstabilised approach or an obstruction on the runway.

Winds at the time of the incident, which occurred on Monday morning, were said to be near 60mph.

A number of flights to Valencia were diverted or cancelled that day because of Storm Gloria — which has claimed the lives of 13 people so far.

Several other people are still missing, including 25-year-old Brit Ben Garland who is feared to have been swept to sea in north of Ibiza.

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