The flight declared an in-flight emergency and made a sharp U-turn over the North Sea
An EasyJet aircraft bound for Germany executed an abrupt mid-air reversal and headed back to Manchester after declaring an emergency while flying over the North Sea.
The service, EZY32GY, travelling from Manchester to Hamburg raised alarm on Wednesday evening (September 23) when it declared an emergency mid-flight and changed course near Amsterdam.
Flight Radar data shows the plane departed at 7.15pm – an hour and 15 minutes behind its scheduled take-off time. Roughly 30 minutes into the journey, the aircraft squawked 7700 and reversed direction.
Squawk 7700 is the standard aviation transponder code employed by pilots to indicate a general in-flight emergency, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Real-time aviation monitoring service Squawk posted on X shortly after 8pm: “An AIRBUS A-320 (EZY32GY) is squawking 7700 – declaring an emergency at 34,000 ft near Amsterdam, Netherlands.”
EasyJet confirmed the aircraft returned to Manchester Airport owing to “a technical issue with the aircraft”.
The carrier stated the plane was greeted by emergency services on touchdown “as a precaution only”. It has issued an apology to passengers for the disruption to their journey.
An EasyJet spokesperson commented: “”Flight EZY2195 from Manchester to Hamburg this evening returned to Manchester due to a technical issue with the aircraft. The aircraft was met by emergency services as a precaution only and customers disembarked normally.
“Due to Hamburg Airport’s curfew restriction the flight was delayed overnight and will continue the journey on 24 September.
“We are very sorry for the inconvenience caused and did everything possible to minimise the impact of the delay. While we always look to secure hotel accommodation, as there was very limited availability, we advised customers they would be reimbursed for booking their own.
“The safety of its passengers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers’ guidelines.”
Greater Manchester Police have been approached for further comment.
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