An easyJet plane was forced to land back at Gatwick Airport on Saturday afternoon. The EZY34AQ flight arrived back at the airport and was met by fire crews.
It’s believed the plane sustained a hydraulic failure and came to a halt after returning to the runway. A local resident reported on social media that “multiple ambulances” were spotted heading towards Gatwick. It’s not believed that anyone was injured in the incident.
A live flight radar shows the plane, an Airbus A321-251NX, back at the airport at 4.24pm. It had reportedly left around an hour and 50 minutes beforehand.
Jack’s Flying said in a post on X: “G-UZMI (easyJet UK) diverts back to Gatwick after a hydraulic failure, come to a full stop on the runway surrounded by fire and ground crew.”
Local resident Daisy Mitchell replied to the post: “We live in the area. Multiple ambulances are heading towards Gatwick. Not sure if it’s related.”
It is standard procedure for returning flights to be met on the runway by crews from Gatwick Airport Fire and Rescue Service. The passengers are reportedly set to be taken to their destination via other flights.
It comes less than a month after an easyJet flight was forced to divert back to Manchester Airport. The flight, which was bound for Izmir, left the airport at around 5pm on June 30 before returning around an hour later.
The airline confirmed that the diversion was caused by a “passenger welfare issue”. It described the disruption as “out of our control” and an “extraordinary circumstance”.
The flight was then delayed until the following day (July 1). easyJet said: “We’re sorry that your flight has been delayed overnight. This is due to a passenger welfare issue.
“We are working hard to arrange your new flight for tomorrow. Once again, we’re very sorry for the disruption to your travel plans.”
EasyJet has been approached for comment on the Gatwick Airport incident.