In a bizarre incident, 19 passengers onboard easyJet flight flying from Lanzarote to Liverpool, were asked to disembark the plane as it was “too heavy to take off”.
The incident took place on July 5. The flight which was scheduled to take off around 9:45 pm, was delayed due to poor weather conditions and the plane’s weight. It finally took off at around 11:30 pm after several passengers were asked to volunteer to “choose not to fly”.
What were the passengers on the flight told?
In a video of the incident shared by a passenger onboard, the flight’s pilot could be heard explaining to the passengers that “because there are so many of you, it’s a pretty heavy aircraft”. In addition, the pilot said the heaviness, combined with a “fairly short runway and some winds”, which were not favourable for the flight, made the aircraft “too heavy to depart”.
Calling safety their “number one priority”, the pilot said there was no way the flight could take off with the given weather conditions. There are a number of factors – it’s very hot, the wind isn’t fantastic, the direction isn’t great,” the pilot said.
Discussing the next steps, the pilot said that there was only one way, which was to make the aircraft “slightly lighter”. The pilot asked 20 volunteers to “choose not to fly” to Liverpool. They were told volunteers would be given an incentive of up to €500 per passenger.
The airline’s reaction
While talking to The Independent, an easyJet spokesperson confirmed that 19 passengers volunteered to travel on a later flight. “This is a routine operational decision in these circumstances and weight restrictions are in place for all airlines for safety reason,” the spokesperson added. The airline added that the safety of its passengers and crew is “always easyJet’s highest priority”.
As per The Daily Mirror, the flight landed at Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport at around 3 am on July 6.