WATCH the moment terrified passengers screamed for their lives as their Wizz Air flight was thrown around by violent turbulence.

Wailing and desperate prayers rang out along the dark cabin before the pilot was forced to abort the landing at Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy.

The Airbus A321 which set off from Alicante, south-east Spain, had to make an emergency landing in Bologna early on Thursday morning.

Shocking footage uploaded to social media captioned: “Moments of terror on the flight,” shows the cabin rocking around mid-air.

High-pitch screams from the petrified passengers pierce the darkness, while others shout “Oh God” and “No, no, no!”

One passenger can be heard breathing heavily and whimpering as they wait for the next jolt.

The cabin lights are switched off other than the seatbelt signs, leaving passengers screeching in the darkness.

Italy has been suffering with extreme weather this summer and Rome is currently under a severe thunderstorm warning.

It was these conditions that made it impossible to land at Fiumicino, the country’s busiest airport.

After having several goes, the pilot aborted its scheduled route and redirected to Bologna – 250 miles away.

The flight had already departed an hour and 17 minutes late, and eventually landed in Bologna at 3:57am – almost three hours after it was supposed to arrive in Rome.

Flight time from Alicante to Rome is usually around two hours.

Wizz Air said: “Wizz Air flight W4 6038 from Alicante to Rome Fiumicino on August 20 was diverted to Bologna Airport after it was unable to land safely due to adverse weather conditions at Rome Fiumicino Airport.

“The aircraft landed safely and without incident in Bologna at 3:57 a.m. local time. Passengers were provided with ground transportation from Bologna to Rome.”

The airline said that passengers who “arranged ground transportation” had been informed they would be entitled to a refund.

Wizz Air continued: “Weather conditions are beyond the airline’s control, and safety remains Wizz Air’s top priority.

It added that aborting a landing is “a standard procedure in the event that conditions are not ideal for a safe landing”.

Bosses thanked the pilots and cabin crew for “ensuring everyone’s safety during the turbulence and for making the right decision to divert the flight to Bologna”.

This traumatic ordeal came weeks after nine passengers were injured on a Ryanair flight from Berlin to Milan as a result of violent turbulence.

One woman was left with a head wound and another suffered a serious back injury after being thrown against the cabin walls.

Eight passengers and one member of the crew were injured, police confirmed.

Three people were taken to the hospital in Memmingen for treatment including the toddler, Bavarian police said.

Upon landing, all of the shaken passengers were checked for injuries by emergency services.

A passenger told BILD: “I’ve never been scared before but at that moment, I thought the plane was going to break apart or roll over.”