There have been several cases of flight delays. Well, a new incident has come to light where passengers on a flight were asked to deboard for an unconventional reason. According to reports, around 19 passengers on board the EasyJet flight from Lanzarote to Liverpool were asked to deboard saying the flight was too heavy and difficult to take off from the runway. Reportedly, the flight was supposed to take off at 9:45 pm but took off around 11:30 pm due to the delay.
Captain urges people to become volunteers
According to reports, a video is going viral on social media in which the captain of the aircraft is seen interacting with the passengers and explaining the situation on board. Reportedly, the passengers were asked to voluntarily opt not to board the flight. In the video, he explained that the heaviness of the aeroplane, difficult weather conditions and the short runway were the main constraints for the flight delay.
He said, “That heavy aircraft, combined with the fairly short runway and the current adverse conditions in Lanzarote, means that the aircraft is too heavy to fly. I’m sitting here with my senior first officer, and we’re very experienced with it.” and have done this before. Safety is our number one priority, with the current wind conditions, there is no way we can get this plane in the air. There are many factors – it’s too hot, the wind too strong It’s brilliant, and the direction isn’t great.”
#easyjetCaptain asked 20 passengers to leave the plane as the plane was overweight and would not be able to take off #lanzarote Due to wind and hot weather. flights from lanzarote #liverpool There was a delay of about 2 hours.
__razza699/TikTok#Spain #UK #aviation pic.twitter.com/oa8pi4Imox
— FlightMode (@FlightModeblog) 8 July 2023
He then suggested a solution and asked the 20 passengers not to fly voluntarily, as it would weigh the plane down. Initially, passengers were not impressed with the poor preparation of the aircraft and criticized the move. However, around 19 of them agreed to get down and eventually the plane took off from the airport.
What did the airlines say?
An airline spokesperson said that this was a routine operational decision for the airline, and that there are weight restrictions on each flight prior to takeoff. However, the airline voluntarily offered an incentive of up to 500 euros to each passenger who deplaned.