London: When too many people step on to a lift crossing its capacity, some have to get out before it can move.
But have you heard of an aircraft being overloaded by passengers?
Yes, that is what happened in British airline EasyJet, which left 19 passengers on the runway as the plane became too heavy to take off.
Manchester Evening News reported that the EasyJet flight from Spain’s Lanzarote airport to Liverpool’s John Lennon airport was scheduled to take off at 9.45 pm (local time) on Wednesday, but had to be delayed because of excess weight.
The pilot reportedly cited the heavy aircraft, short runway and weather conditions as major constraints for the delay of the flight.
“Thank you all for getting here today. Because there are so many of you, it’s a pretty heavy aircraft. 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,” the pilot was heard saying in a video.
To lighten the aircraft, the pilot asked about 20 passengers to voluntarily skip the flight, for an incentive of 500 euros from the airline.
“Now, you might be wondering what happens next and that’s what I’ve come in here to say. 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 euros per passenger who is willing not to fly tonight,” the pilot informed.
The incentive didn’t excite the passengers, but eventually 19 passengers agreed to stay back at the airport.
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