The flight was suddenly diverted after a pilot needed ‘medical assistance’
A passenger has described the dramatic moment her flight was diverted after a pilot became ill on the trip back to Manchester Airport.
Caroline Peers was one of the hundreds onboard the EasyJet service that departed from Heraklion, Greece, at around 8.45pm yesterday (May 12).
The flight was scheduled to land in Manchester, but midway through the journey, the aircraft diverted to Milan after one of the pilots needed ‘medical assistance.’
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Caroline, 52, says she could not see what exactly had happened, but recalls an announcement being made that the the first captain had fallen ill before emergency services rushed to his aid after landing.
“Oh, it was awful,” she said. “When they landed the plane, you could see all the lights and hear the sirens. It was police, ambulance and fire.
“They put a black cloth up and the police came on. We were all going around and being nosey, then the captain announced that the first pilot was OK but he was going to get checked out for safety reasons.”
According to EasyJet, passengers were put in hotels and given meals, with those who booked their own seat to be ‘reimbursed’. However, Caroline, said only a few travellers were provided with accommodation, while others had to settle with sleeping in the airport.
“There were hundreds of people all running around, trying to find out what was going on,” said Caroline, from Partington. “Because we were in the middle of the plane, there was nothing left for us. We tried everywhere.
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“Me, my partner, his two kids and a lot of other people ended up sleeping on the floor of the airport. There was nothing open.
“There were old people in there. Sat on suit cases and young children too.
“I’m quite healthy and it took its toll on me. It was awful, we were tired, we weren’t getting any answers. We expected at least someone from management to be there.”
EasyJet said the captain carried out a ‘routine landing’ and medics met the plane when it landed in Italy to assess the first officer. The flight was rescheduled to this morning and Caroline is now back home.
In a statement, an easyJet spokesperson said: “Flight EZY2058 from Heraklion to Manchester diverted to Milan Malpensa due to the First Officer requiring medical assistance.
“The Captain performed a routine landing in accordance with standard operating procedures and the aircraft was met by medical services and the flight was therefore rescheduled to operate this morning.
“We did everything possible to minimise the disruption to customers, providing hotel accommodation and meals where available, and we advised anyone who booked their own that they will be reimbursed.
“The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is always our highest priority and we are sorry for any inconvenience this will have caused.”
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