Passengers on this evening’s Easyjet EZY841 flight were offloaded as the pilot said they will not make the Isle of Man Airport in time.
The Captain told passengers on the intercom that the Isle of Man Airport had refused “Point Blank” to remain open longer than the 9pm closure time.
He went on to say that the aircraft would not be able to operate the service in the time available.
Passengers boarded at 7pm, but by 7.15 the flight crew made the decision to offload passengers back in to the terminal.
A couple who were on the flight told Manx.News that the Captain was frustrated about the closure time and had even hung around to ensure passengers had managed to get re-booked or find hotels.
They say the pilot had also told passengers that cabin crew had been taken off another flight so that they could operate the delayed Isle of Man service.
Delay
The flight was scheduled to depart Gatwick at 6.05pm but had been delayed until 7.30pm.
Passengers were all on board and ready to go when the decision was made.
The passengers who contacted Manx.news said they couldn’t fault the Easyjet flight crew who tried their best to ensure everyone was informed and found alternative accommodation. They said that although the flight was delayed by 90 minutes, this is not unusual, but criticised the Isle of Man Airport for not being able to remain open at what was still only ‘evening’.
There was controversy just over two weeks ago when the Isle of Man Airport closed while two flights were en route to the Island.
EasyJet and Loganair both had to divert flights after the received radio messages that Ronaldsway was closing and they would not be able to land.
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