Passengers on an EasyJet flight from Southend to Malaga were left in disbelief when five people were asked to leave because the plane was over weight limits for the runway
Several flyers on an EasyJet plane said they were left in “disbelief” after the pilot told the flight that five people had to get off or the plane would not take off.
The flight – which was travelling from Southend Airport to Malaga on April 11 – was preparing for take-off when the captain notified them of the problem.
Passengers claimed the pilot said people had to disembark because the plane was “too heavy” and threatened to leave people’s luggage behind in Southend.
One passenger who remained on the aircraft, Kelly Wayand, who is an independent travel agent, said: “I honestly couldn’t believe what was happening – I thought he was joking at first. It was bizarre, I had never heard anything like it before.”
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The 45-year-old added: “The pilot came out of his cockpit and told everyone we couldn’t set off unless six of us got off the plane. He said it was either that or we leave all of the luggage behind”, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Kelly continued: “I was travelling with my dad, who is disabled, my mum, and my partner, so it would have been hard work for us to get off. Five people got off fairly quickly in around 10 minutes.”
Another passenger, Carly Mowbray, told Your Southend: “The people who got off departed to a round of applause from those of us that stayed. The flight crew said they had not experienced it before.”
She added: “There were already 10 empty seats before the extra passengers got off.” Flight records reveal the aircraft – an Airbus A319 – was scheduled to depart at 8.40am but actually took off at 8.59am. According to Airbus, an A319 has a maximum take-off weight of 75.50 tonnes.
EasyJet released a statement saying: “Five passengers on flight EJU7008 from Southend to Malaga on Saturday volunteered to travel on alternative flights as a result of the aircraft being over the weight limits for the weather conditions and the short length of the runway. Weight restrictions are in place for all airlines for safety reasons.”
The budget airline added: “The customers were provided with transport and a later flight to Malaga on the same day, free of charge, from London Gatwick and we have been in touch with them to provide the compensation they are entitled to, in line with regulations. The safety and welfare of our passengers and crew is always easyJet’s highest priority.”
Under UK261 regulations, passengers who are denied boarding for a medium-haul flight such as between Southend and Malaga are entitled to £175 or £350 compensation, depending on the duration of the delay.
