The trip from Lanzarote’s Arrecife Airport to Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport was supposed to leave at 9:45 p.m. on Wednesday, but it didn’t leave because the plane was “too heavy to take off” and there was bad weather. EasyJet had no choice but to get rid of about 19 people, and the flight didn’t leave until almost 11:30 pm.
The pilot of the EasyJet flight told the people on board that the plane was too heavy to take off, and about 19 of them offered to get off.
“Thank you to everyone who came today. Since there are so many of you, the plane is pretty heavy. This heavy plane can’t take off because the track is short and the weather is bad right now. A video taken by a passenger shows the pilot saying, “I was sitting with my senior first officer, and we’ve done this before and know what to do.”
The pilot continued, “Since safety is our top concern, there is no way we could get this plane off the ground with the way the wind is right now. There are a few reasons: “it’s very hot, the wind isn’t” great, and it’s not blowing in the right way. “Now, you might be wondering what comes next, and I’m here to tell you. I” talked to our operations team, and they told me that the only “way to fix a problem with a big plane is to make it a little bit lighter”.
The last thing they said was, “If it’s possible, I’d like to ask up to 20 volunteers not to fly to Liverpool tonight.” There will be a reward for anyone who wants to help out. easyJet has told us that it will cost up to €500 per person who doesn’t want to fly tonight. While the pilot was talking, some people could be heard whispering, “I want to go home tonight,” and many others could be seen shaking their heads.
According to EasyJet’s flight log, the delay was caused by both the plane being too heavy and bad weather in Lanzarote.
A spokesman for EasyJet told Liverpool Echo that 19 people chose to get off the plane. They said, “easyJet can confirm that 19 passengers on flight EZY3364 from Lanzarote to Liverpool last night volunteered to go on a later flight because the plane was too heavy for the weather.” This is a normal operational choice in this situation, and all airlines have weight limits for safety reasons.
In an interview with the Liverpool Echo, the spokesman said, “If a flight would go over its weight limit, we ask passengers to volunteer to move to a later flight for free, which is what happened in this case. Volunteers are compensated according to the rules.” EasyJet’s top concern is always the safety and well-being of its passengers and crew. But the flight made it to John Lennon Airport yesterday morning just after 3 a.m.