A holiday flight from Northern Ireland to Egypt was abruptly cancelled after police were summoned to Belfast International Airport to deal with a group of disruptive passengers.
Incident Leads to Major Disruption
EasyJet flight EZY3077, scheduled to depart from Belfast International Airport for the popular resort of Hurghada at 12.55pm on Saturday, January 3, was thrown into chaos. The airline confirmed that police were called to the airport terminal following reports of a "group of customers behaving disruptively."
As a direct result of the significant delay caused by the incident, the flight was unable to depart that day. It was officially rescheduled for the following morning, Sunday, January 4, in an attempt to get passengers to their destination.
Crew Safety Hours Forced Cancellation
However, the disruption had a critical knock-on effect. An easyJet spokesperson explained that the lengthy delay meant the operating cabin crew would exceed their legally mandated safety operating hours if the flight proceeded on Sunday.
"We do not tolerate disruptive behaviour onboard," the airline stated firmly. "We take such incidents seriously, and as a result of the delay with disruptive passengers, the crew reached their safety regulated operating hours, which resulted in the flight's cancellation."
Passengers Left Stranded
The cancellation left travellers bound for the Egyptian sun stranded at the airport. easyJet has a clear policy against disruptive behaviour, which it states compromises the safety and comfort of other passengers and crew.
The airline is now tasked with re-accommodating affected passengers on alternative services and providing assistance as required under aviation regulations. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the wide-reaching consequences that unacceptable behaviour at airports can have, impacting not only those involved but hundreds of other travellers.
