An EasyJet flight heading to England was forced to make an emergency landing in Greece after the pilot reportedly collapsed.
The aircraft was traveling from Hurghada, Egypt to Manchester, England, when the pilot suffered a “medical emergency” on Saturday, Feb. 8, a spokesperson for EasyJet said in a statement to PEOPLE. The co-pilot was forced to divert and land the plane in Athens, Greece.
“EasyJet can confirm that flight EZY2252 from Hurghada to Manchester on 8 February was diverted to Athens due to the captain requiring medical assistance,” the company said.
“The first officer performed a routine landing in accordance with standard operating procedures and the aircraft was met by paramedics on arrival in Athens,” the statement continued.
The flight was “delayed overnight” and passengers were placed in hotel rooms before taking off the “next day,” according to the statement. “We did all possible to minimize the impact of the disruption and arranged hotel rooms and meals where available,” the spokesperson added.
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An EasyJet Plc passenger aircraft
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“We would like to apologize to passengers for the inconvenience caused and thank them for their patience and understanding,” the spokesperson concluded.
One passenger recalled noticing “something was wrong” two hours into the flight as the cabin crew “rush[ed] to the front of the plane where a man had collapsed,” the U.K. outlet Manchester Evening News reported.
They told the outlet, “At first we thought this may of been a passenger as nothing much was being said other than the screams asking if anyone is medically trained, where a few passengers got up and assisted the cabin crew.”
The passenger reportedly said a screen then went up to block the view of the front of the plane.
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Manchester Airport in England
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Passengers started to panic after the cabin crew told them in a call that the captain was “seeking medical attention” after falling “unwell,” the passenger told Manchester Evening News.
The passenger also recalled having a “rough and scary” landing, telling the outlet, “We started to panic. I got upset once I felt how rocky and rough the landing was and started to panic thinking it was the end. Another passenger began to have a panic attack and was given an oxygen mask to help.”
They shared that the passengers and cabin crew praised the co-pilot for landing safely and that, after arriving at the airport, some passengers slept on the floor as they waited for a free coach while others paid their own way back home.
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