Manchester Airport: Drama as passengers forced to get off | United Kingdom

A man has been arrested after passengers were forced off an easyJet plane at Manchester Airport.

Shocked holidaymakers en route to Milan on Friday (October 4) said police boarded the plane after it had already started taxiing on the tarmac.

The suspect allegedly hid “with the aim of being transported onto a plane” after boarding without the proper documents, the Manchester Evening News reported.

The flight, which was heading to Milan Malpensa from Terminal 1, was therefore seriously delayed. The departure time from the gate was initially listed as 6:23 p.m., but the flight did not last until 11:10 p.m.

The Airbus plane finally landed in Milan shortly before 2 a.m. on Saturday. This was more than four and a half hours after the scheduled arrival time.

The alarm was given when the plane had already started moving on the runway, according to vacationers. One passenger said the flight was searched by police and everyone had to be re-screened.

Nothing suspicious was found on board and the incident is not considered terrorism-related.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: “At around 7pm last night we were called to Manchester Airport to reports of a man who had boarded a flight without the correct documentation.

“Upon returning to the terminal, officers arrested a man in his 20s on suspicion of concealing himself for the purpose of being transported onto an aircraft without consent and intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance.

“He remains in custody for questioning and investigations are ongoing.”

Express has contacted easyJet for further information. On its website, the airline apologized for the delay and referred to it as a “passenger incident.”

A spokesperson for Manchester Airport said all its security processes had been followed. They added that the matter was being handled by the police.