Ryanair passengers forced off plane on runway as fire crews scrambled to jet

19 February 2024 , 18:38

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Ryanair passengers were forced off the plane as fire crews were scrambled to the jet (Image: Supplied)

Startled Ryanair passengers were forced to get off and wait for another flight after fire crews rushed across the runway towards their plane.

The flight from Edinburgh Airport to Tenerife was held up on Saturday, February 17, following a "technical issue".

Passengers were led off and booked on a replacement flight nearly two hours later.

Eyewitnesses described seeing passengers stood on the runway as the airport's fire appliance vehicle attended to the jet.

Passengers waiting on a replacement aircraft departed around an hour and 40 minutes later, and the budget airline apologised for any inconvenience cause by the delay.

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A spokesperson for Ryanair confirmed the aeroplane was checked over and cleared to return to service later on Saturday night. The issue was said to have been reported before the plane taxied, reports Edinburgh Live.

The Ryanair spokesperson said: "This flight from Edinburgh to Tenerife (17 Feb) was delayed ahead of take-off due to a minor tech issue with the aircraft. The aircraft remained on stand, passengers were disembarked and the aircraft was taken for inspection by engineers, who cleared the aircraft to return to service later that night.

"To minimise disruption to passengers, a replacement aircraft was quickly arranged to operate this flight, departing Edinburgh approx. 1 hr 40 mins later. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused as a result of this short delay." Edinburgh Airport were approached for comment.

In a separate incident involving the airline earlier this month, a Ryanair passenger was removed from a UK-bound plane by police after becoming "loud and abusive". The woman became disruptive minutes after take-off and, despite warnings from staff, it is said she continued to "abuse passengers" on the flight from Cork to Manchester.

Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas