A Liverpool family was left stranded more than 1,000 miles from their holiday destination after their EasyJet flight from Manchester to Antalya was abruptly diverted on Friday, before a second flight was cancelled.
James Lanson, travelling with his wife and two-year-old daughter, was among hundreds of holidaymakers left at Milan Airport after the delayed flight was diverted. Passengers claim they were taken onto the runway and arrived at the plane before being told the pilot had "called in sick" and they could not board.
Flight delays and diversion
The flight to Antalya was due to leave Manchester Airport at 7.45am. After a wait of over four hours, the plane eventually took off at approximately midday after a replacement crew was sourced.
But while in the air, passengers were informed the flight would need to divert to Milan, as the crew had reached its duty-time limit and could not legally continue working. Those on board, including many families with young children, were taken to Milan Airport, over 1,200 miles from their intended destination.
Passenger experiences
Passengers reported being handed a €25 food voucher while awaiting the arrival of a fresh crew, who were understood to be travelling from Manchester Airport and were expected to reach Milan at around 7.30pm local time (6.30pm GMT).
James Lanson said: "It's been unbelievably difficult with our toddler. She hasn't eaten, she can't understand what's going on. There's no facilities in this airport for her or any of the other kids."
He added: "I used to work as a prison officer and the prison that I used to work in kept the prisoners in better condition."
EasyJet response
EasyJet confirmed that the flight was delayed owing to air traffic control restrictions brought about by adverse weather across Europe, adding that the delay would have caused the crew to surpass their legally permitted working hours, prompting the decision to arrange a crew changeover in Milan. The plane is set to be refuelled before continuing its journey to Antalya.
An easyJet spokesperson said: "We are sorry for any inconvenience this will have caused and did all we could to minimise the impact of the disruption. The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is always easyJet's highest priority."
