easyJet removes 19 passengers from UK-bound plane because it was ‘too heavy’

More than a dozen passengers were removed from an easyJet flight because the plane was “too heavy to take off”.

The flight from Lanzarote to Liverpool was delayed due to excess weight and poor weather conditions just before departure at 9.45pm on Wednesday.

Footage uploaded to TikTok shows the pilot announcing that those who get off the plane will be offered “up to €500 per passenger”.

Speaking via the PA system, the pilot explains: “Because there are so many of you, it’s a pretty heavy aircraft we’ve got today. That heavy aircraft combined with a fairly short runway here in Lanzarote and some winds, which aren’t completely favorable at the moment, mean that [under] the current environmental conditions here in Lanzarote, the aircraft is too heavy at the moment to depart.

“Of course the one way to solve a problem with a heavy aircraft is to make it slightly lighter. If possible, I’d like to ask for up to potentially 20 volunteers to choose not to fly to Liverpool tonight.”

A spokesperson for easyJet confirmed that 19 passengers left and “volunteered to travel on a later flight as a result of the aircraft being over the weight limits for the weather conditions.”

The spokesperson said: “This is a routine operational decision in these circumstances and weight restrictions are in place for all airlines for safety reasons.

“In the event that a flight would exceed weight limits, we ask for passengers to volunteer to transfer to a later flight free of charge, which is what happened on this occasion and volunteers are provided with compensation in line with regulations.

“The safety and welfare of our passengers and crew is always easyJet’s highest priority.”

The flight did not leave until 11.24pm – almost two hours later than scheduled – and arrived at John Lennon Airport just after 3am on Thursday.