EasyJet passengers forced off flight and left for five hours after ‘funny smell’ detected
Passengers on an EasyJet flight were forced off the plane after the pilot detected a ‘funny smell’ near the rear of the cabin.
More than 100 people were set to fly from Birmingham to Geneva when they were told to disembark.
Due to Geneva’s curfew laws, the flight had to be rescheduled, with some waiting for hours without information.
The announcement sparked confusion among travellers, with others saying they were left waiting for hours for a coach to taken them from Birmingham Airport to a hotel, with the flight rescheduled for the next morning.
The flight, which had 106 people on board, saw passengers told to “go back into the terminal” at 7.40pm and await further instructions after the captain detected the smell.
The Daily Mail reports the pilot was heard saying over the tannoy “the bad news is I do not think we’ll be flying tonight.”
Now, passengers said they were left without information and stranded at Birmingham Airport.
One passenger said: “I asked if I should get my children some food, and the representative simply said, “Go out and wait for 20 minutes until there is an update’…we waited an hour but heard nothing, then the flight simply disappeared from the departure information screen at Birmingham airport.
“I only knew that the flight had officially been cancelled when I asked another passenger who was leaving the seating area what was happening, and he told me it was cancelled.”
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Kristin Beattie from Loughborough, had to book her husband a last-minute hotel in Geneva after he had driven 110 miles from the French ski resort to collect her, only to find that she wouldn’t be arriving.
She said: “‘I was getting picked up in Geneva by someone who’s driven from Orelle, so I had to book him a hotel in Geneva.
“Sitting on the plane they were very quick at telling you what’s going on and how we were not going anywhere, and at 9.45pm we were still stuck at the check-in desks at departures, adding that customers were left “sitting like mugs.”
The Mail reports that there was a delay confirming hotel accommodation which led to people waiting at the airport after being taken off the plane.
A spokesperson for easyJet said: “We can confirm that flight EZY1506 from Birmingham to Geneva on Wednesday, February 7, was delayed overnight due to a technical issue with the aircraft.
“We did all possible to minimise the disruption for our customers, providing hotel rooms and coaches for all who required them and our ground handling partner Swissport assisted customers in the airport throughout and advised that any food and refreshment costs during this time would be reimbursed. The flight continued to Geneva at 09.20am the next morning.
“The safety of our customers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers’ guidelines. We would like to apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused.”