EasyJet passengers removed from flight after plane damaged just moments before take-off

Pictures from the scene show ground staff responding to the incident.

A passenger who was on the flight told Edinburgh Evening News: “The pulley went too far and the whole plane shook. EasyJet are an hour delayed now.

“We are de-boarding and going to a different gate. Waiting for new aircraft.”

The airline told its passengers in an update that the disruption is “considered to be an extraordinary circumstance”.

The update said: “We’re sorry that your flight has been delayed. This is due to damage to your plane whilst being pushed off the parking stand.

“We are preparing your plane currently, and ground crew will be getting ready to transfer you soon. To allow for this, we have delayed your departure time.

“This disruption to your flight is outside of our control and is considered to be an extraordinary circumstance.”

An easyJet spokesman said: “We can confirm that flight EZY218 from Edinburgh to Bristol this afternoon was delayed on departure after one of the aircraft’s wings experienced some minor damage during pushback.

“The aircraft returned to stand and customers disembarked into the terminal while we arranged a replacement aircraft to operate the flight, which has now departed.

“The safety of our passengers and crew is our highest priority and we are sorry for any inconvenience caused by the delay.”

It follows an incident earlier this month where police were called to remove a disruptive group of travellers from an easyJet aircraft.

Passengers bound for the Egyptian resort of Hurghada found themselves stranded at Belfast International Airport.

The intervention resulted in significant delays, meaning the scheduled departure time of 12.55pm on January 3 was not fulfilled.

By the time the group were escorted off the plane, crew members had exceeded their legally mandated working hours.

This resulted in the airline being forced to cancel the service entirely.

In a catastrophic blow to the holiday plans of fellow passengers, they had to wait until Monday to reach their destination.

An EasyJet spokesman said "Our cabin crew are trained to assess all situations and to act quickly and appropriately, to ensure that the safety of the flight and other customers is not compromised at any time.

"We take these incidents seriously and do not tolerate disruptive behaviour on board."

The airline also confirmed hotel rooms and meals would be provided for those affected by the cancellation.

"Unfortunately, this delay led to the crew reaching their safety regulated operating hours which has resulted in the flight being rescheduled to tomorrow," the spokesman added.