Passengers on board the Manchester flight to Dubai said they were on the runway when they heard a ‘loud bang’ before the aircraft came to a stop and was met by fire engines
An Emirates flight from Manchester to Dubai shocked travellers with a noise nobody wants to hear on an airplane, which caused them to be grounded in a three-hour limbo on Wednesday morning.
Flight EK22, destined for Dubai, was grounded after passengers reported hearing a terrifying “loud bang”, despite the plane already being an hour behind its scheduled 10am departure. The aircraft, allegedly suffering from an engine technical fault and halted abruptly.
This lead to fire engines racing to meet it on the runway in case of a serious blaze —a move confirmed as routine by Manchester Airport officials. With a major fault, the double-decker Airbus A380 was forced to spend the day undergoing repairs before returning to Dubai.
While the plane was returned to the stand, travellers were reportedly kept aboard for about three hours in limbo as staff mulled over repair possibilities and aircraft replacement options, including a double-decker A380.
In the end, some 600 flyers were booted off the flight, leading to long lines at passport control, but they were eventually offered seats on alternative Emirates flights from other UK locations, reports the Manchester Evening News.
In response to the incident, an Emirates spokesperson conveyed their apologies for the inconvenience: “Emirates can confirm flight EK22 from Manchester to Dubai on 13 November was cancelled due to a technical fault.”
They further stated, “Affected passengers were accommodated on other Emirates flights and we apologise for any inconvenience caused. The safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance and will not be compromised.”
