An easyJet flight bound for Luton was forced into an emergency landing miles from its destination. Passengers on flight EZY2618 from Hurghada to Luton experienced a hair-raising moment on May 19 when the captain announced: “There’s something we shouldn’t have in the hold.”
The 180 people on board were not provided with further details about the issue that was forcing the flight to be diverted until landing, one of the passengers has suggested. The plane landed safely at Rome Fiumicino at 11.30pm on Tuesday. It was later claimed that a woman had told a flight attendant about a power bank being in her checked luggage, which prompted the pilot to divert the flight due to security risks.
The stranded passengers were put up in hotels or slept at the terminal, with easyJet arranging a new flight back to the UK to depart at 2pm the following day.
Among the passengers on the diverted flight was Paul Casterton, 57, who was travelling with partner Laura Bartlett, 61.
Speaking about the chilling incident, he told The Sun: “No one knew what to think. Suddenly the plane changed direction and made a descent. It was hard not to fear the worst.”
Mr Casterton described the rest of the flight “stressful” until landing.
He added: “Thank goodness it wasn’t a bomb in the hold. Word spread as to the true reason we had been diverted. It was quite an ordeal, but mostly relief that everyone was OK.”
The low-cost airline said in a statement: “Flight EZY2618 from Hurghada to Luton on May 19 diverted to Rome Fiumicino as the crew were informed a power bank was charging in luggage.
“The captain then diverted as a precaution in line with safety regulations. Safety is our highest priority. We would like to apologise to all passengers for any inconvenience.”
Objects containing lithium batteries, such as most power banks, are normally banned from being stored in the checked luggage.
