Diksia.com - Dozens of passengers had to exit the plane because it was “too heavy” to fly.
As reported by ladbible.com, the incident occurred on July 5, 2023 at 9:45 p.m. on an EasyJet flight from Arrecife Lanzarote Airport in Spain to John Lennon Airport in Liverpool in England.
Just before the plane took off, the pilot announced that there was a small problem.
In a video shared by one of the passengers, the pilot can be heard explaining that the weather conditions and the enormous weight of the plane prevented the planned take-off.
“Thank you for coming here today,” said the pilot.
“Because there are so many of you, this plane is going to be pretty heavy.”
“The heavy aircraft combined with the relatively short runway and the current unfavorable conditions here in Lanzarote means the aircraft is too heavy to take off.”
“I sat down with my senior first officer and found that we are very experienced at this and have done so before.”
“Since safety is our number one priority, the current wind conditions made it impossible to fly this aircraft.”
“There were several factors – it was very hot, the wind wasn’t good and the direction wasn’t right.”
“Now you might be wondering what happens next, and that’s what I want to say.”
“I spoke to our operations team and realized that the only way to solve the problem of a heavy aircraft is to make it a little lighter.”
“If possible I would like to ask up to 20 volunteers not to fly to Liverpool tonight.”
“If someone wants to volunteer, there will be incentives.”
“The amount currently offered by EasyJet is up to €500 per passenger willing not to fly tonight.”
Some people, not happy with the news, said, “I want to go home tonight!”
In the end, despite some excitement, the crew managed to find 19 people willing to exit the plane.
The plane finally took off at 11:30 p.m.
An airline spokesman told LADbible:
“EasyJet can confirm that 19 passengers on flight EZY3364 from Lanzarote to Liverpool last night volunteered to continue their flight because the aircraft exceeded the weight limit for the weather conditions.”
“In these circumstances, this is a routine operational decision and strict restrictions are in place for all airlines for safety reasons.”
“If a flight threatens to exceed the weight limit, like in this case, we ask the passengers to transfer to the next flight voluntarily and free of charge, and the volunteer will be compensated according to the regulations.”
The airline added: “The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew has always been a top priority for easyJet.”
Is it true that planes can’t fly if they’re too heavy?
In short, yes.
“Every airplane has a maximum takeoff weight — an airplane can’t take off if it’s heavier,” aviation expert Brian Sumers told ABC 7 Chicago.
Sumers said airlines have their own policies about who has to get off the plane.
If no one accepts compensation, they try to force as few people as possible.
He said passengers should book early, check in early and make sure passengers have been assigned seats before check-in.
This could avoid being “thrown” off the plane, he said.
