British airline leaves 19 passengers as plane was ‘too heavy’ to take off

In a rare incident, British airline EasyJet left 19 passengers on the runway as the plane reportedly became ‘too heavy’ to take off.   

According to international media, the flight from Lanzarote’s Arrecife Airport to John Lennon Airport, Liverpool, was delayed because of the heavy weight of the, as well as, severe weather conditions.

The EasyJet flight was supposed to take off at 9:45 PM but it could not take off until around 11:30 PM. It eventually left Lanzarote after passengers were asked to volunteer to “choose not to fly”.

In a video sent by someone on board the flight, the pilot can be heard explaining the situation.

“Because there are so many of you it’s a pretty heavy aircraft. That heavy aircraft combined with a fairly short runway and some winds, which aren’t particularly favourable at the moment, mean that with the current unfavourable conditions here in Lanzarote, means the aircraft is too heavy to depart.

The pilot then suggested measures to lighten the aircraft where he asked about 20 passengers to voluntarily skip the flight with an incentive of 500 euros.

“If possible, I would like to ask up to 20 volunteers to choose not to fly to Liverpool tonight. If anyone wants to volunteer there will be an incentive. The current number we’ve been quoted by easyJet is up to €500 per passenger who is willing to not fly tonight,” the pilot said.

However, passengers were not impressed by the incentive on offer or the ill-preparedness of the airline. Eventually, 19 passengers agreed to stay back at the airport, the report added.