09 February 2025 , 14:13
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A flight to Manchester had to divert and land in Athens when the pilot reportedly collapsed.
Passengers on board the EasyJet flight from Hurghada in Egypt’s Red Sea holiday region were so scared that one needed an oxygen mask for a panic attack, a witness claimed.
Around two hours into the flight, cabin crew rushed to the front of the plane due to an incident, ‘screaming’ to ask if anybody on board was medically trained.
A screen was pulled across for privacy, with most assuming that the person taken ill was a passenger.
One person on board at the time told the Manchester Evening News: ‘The following call was from the cabin crew to advise this was the captain/pilot who was seeking medical attention and has fell unwell and we again would be further updated with what was going to happen.’
They were told there would be an emergency landing.
‘We started to panic,’ the passenger continued. ‘I got upset once I felt how rocky and rough the landing was and started to panic thinking it was the end.’
The co-pilot was able to successfully land the plane, which was met by paramedics on the ground.
A spokesperson for easyJet told Metro: ‘easyJet can confirm that flight EZY2252 from Hurghada to Manchester yesterday evening was diverted to Athens due to the Captain requiring medical assistance.
‘The First Officer performed a routine landing in accordance with standard operating procedures and the aircraft was met by paramedics on arrival in Athens.
‘As a result the onward flight was delayed overnight and passengers will continue their journey to Manchester today.
‘We did all possible to minimise the impact of the disruption and arranged hotel rooms and meals where available.
‘We would like to apologise to passengers for the inconvenience caused and thank them for their patience and understanding.’