Easyjet forces 19 passengers off plane because it’s ‘too heavy’ to take off

Easyjet removed 19 people flying to UK because the plane was 'too heavy' to take off (Representational image)

British low-cost airline Easyjet reportedly removed 19 passengers off a plane because it was “too heavy” to take off. Over a dozen passengers flying back to Britain from Lanzarote, Spain, were forced off the flight on Wednesday, the Daily mail reported.

The flight was delayed due to bad weather and excess weight – taking off nearly two hours after its scheduled departure time of 9.45 pm.

In footage that has been widely circulated online, the pilot of the flight can be heard telling passengers about the delay. “Thank you all for getting here today. Because there are so many of you it's a pretty heavy aircraft,” the pilot announced. “That heavy aircraft combined with a pretty short runway and with the current unfavourable conditions here in Lanzarote, means the aircraft is too heavy to take off. I've been sat with my senior first officer and we're very experienced with this and have done this before.

“With safety as our number one priority, there is no way, with the current wind conditions, that we could get this aircraft airborne. There are a number of factors - it's very hot, the wind isn't fantastic, the direction isn't great,” the pilot continued.

“Now, you might be wondering what happens next and that's what I've come in here to say. I have spoken with our operations team and the one way to solve a problem with a heavy aircraft is to make it slightly lighter.

“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 concluded.

Many passengers were not impressed by the incentive on offer or the ill-preparedness of the airline. Grumblings of “I want to go home,” could be heard in the video.

Eventually, the crew did manage to find 19 passengers who were willing to take a later flight out of Spain.