Passengers asked to leave plane that was too heavy

Five passengers voluntarily disembarked an EasyJet plane because the aircraft was deemed to be too heavy.

A spokesperson for the airline said the passengers walked off the flight, taking off from London Southend Airport to Malaga, which was scheduled for 08:40 BST on Saturday.

EasyJet explained that customers were given free travel from Essex to London Gatwick for an alternative flight later that day, and would be offered compensation.

Kelly Wayland, who remained on the flight, initially thought the captain was "joking".

She said the pilot initially asked for six people to leave before they could take off, as first reported by Your Southend.

An EasyJet spokesperson said the weight limit was dictated by the weather conditions and the short length of the runway.

"I just thought [the captain] was telling a joke, you know, just making a laugh about it," said Wayland, who is an independent travel agent.

"I'm sort of a nervous flyer so if there's a bit of strange weather I do get nervous.

"That did make me feel a bit uneasy on the plane."

The 45-year-old said staff floated the idea of flying the luggage out separately, but instead five people volunteered to leave within about 10 minutes.

Passengers gave the five volunteers a round of applause as they left, Wayland said.

The airline did not reveal the compensation that would be offered, but UK Civil Aviation Authority guidance says cancelling medium-haul flights of this kind entitles passengers to between £175 and £350, depending on how long their delay was.

The airline spokesperson said: "The safety and welfare of our passengers and crew is always easyJet's highest priority."

In 2014, passengers travelling on the same route from Southend to Malaga experienced the same issue.

Airlines do not routinely weigh passengers before a flight and instead usually work on standard average weights for each passenger.

The European Union Safety Aviation Agency carried out the most recent study in 2022, concluding that the mean passenger weight including carry-on luggage was 84kg.

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