Firefighters raced to an easyJet plane at Manchester Airport on Thursday evening after the pilot reported smelling fumes in the cockpit, forcing passengers to disembark moments before take-off.
Holidaymakers were due to depart Manchester at 5:30pm before heading to Dalaman, Turkey on flight EZY 9143. But as the plane was being pushed back ready for take-off, the pilot reported the smell of fumes in the cockpit, according to the Manchester Evening News.
Flight cancelled after technical issue
EasyJet confirmed the flight was cancelled following a "technical issue" and said emergency services, including airport fire crews, attended "as a precaution only."
It is understood there was no fire affecting the Airbus A321, but passengers were disembarked and given hotel rooms for the night, with a replacement flight organised for the following day, the airline said.
Brief delays for other flights
The emergency response briefly sparked delays for a number of other flights due to depart around the same time, but did not cause any major disruption.
Around the same time, a fire alarm reportedly went off in the terminal, but this is believed to have been unrelated and a false alarm.
Airline statement
An easyJet spokesperson said: "Flight EZY9143 from Manchester to Dalaman was unable to operate on 20 August due to a technical issue with the aircraft. The aircraft was met by emergency services as a precaution only, and customers disembarked normally.
"Unfortunately, the technical issue meant the flight could not operate as planned. Customers have been provided with hotel accommodation and meals where required and are expected to continue their journey to Dalaman on Friday 21 August on a replacement aircraft.
"We are sorry for any inconvenience this will have caused and did all we could to minimise the impact of the disruption. The safety of our customers and crew is easyJet's highest priority, and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers' guidelines."
