Eighteen people were injured after a flight from Majorca Palma Airport to Manchester was “discontinued” due to a “false fire alarm” just after midnight on Saturday
Passengers onboard a Ryanair flight have recalled the terrifying moment they “jumped from the wing” of the aircraft – as crew members warned people “to brace.”
Eighteen people were injured after a flight from Majorca Palma Airport to Manchester was “discontinued” due to a “false fire alarm” just after midnight on Saturday. Shocking footage from the incident shows some passengers walking on the aircraft’s wings before jumping to the tarmac. Emergency services were called to the airport after the disembarkment caused “minor injuries” to eighteen passengers.
Joanne Baker, who was on the flight with her husband, said the passengers heard a “loud bang” before crew members asked passengers to “brace.”
She told The Mirror: “The crew buzzed each other when a lad in charge ran from the back of the aircraft. The back doors were opened and the slides were out, which we didn’t realise, apart from the loud bangs.
“The crew was shouting “brace! brace!. We didn’t quite know what we were meant to do. They shouted, ‘get off the plane’, and leave your possessions. The communication was awful, the staff did their best, but they are kids and were obviously frightened as well.”
Oliver Smith, who was also on the flight, was one of the passengers who jumped off the aircraft’s wing.
He told The Mirror: “It was a strange feeling. The flight was already delayed, but we boarded, started to move ever so slightly, and then we started to hear random noises. I thought nothing of it until we started to see the cabin crew look more concerned. Then, probably after being on the plane for 20 minutes, the front door was opened and we were told to ‘jump and slide’.
“It was a pretty strange experience and very surprising. Obviously, after hearing shouts of fire, everybody was emotional and wanted to get off the plane ASAP. I was one of quite a few who jumped from the wing; others went on the slides.”
Joanne added: “They had no one checking on passengers apart from the ones who had been injured. The only communication was by the app or email to say sorry about the delay. We were given $16 to spend at the airport in the middle of the night, where nothing was open.
“We were all sitting with children, elderly people, and received nothing – not even a bottle of water – we were just reliant on the texts coming through.”
Oliver said passengers wanted “a few answers” so alternative plans could be made.
He said: “It was the lack of communication, particularly after we returned to the terminal. Mixed stories were coming from various members of staff. We were then told we would fly back ‘that night’ which turned up 5:45am, 6:30am and finally 7am. All people wanted was a few answers so plans could be made. Vouchers were provided to all passengers on the plane.
“The most important thing is everybody is safe and those who suffered sprained ankles/injuries when exiting the plane received treatment and hopefully make a speedy recovery.”
Ryanair has “sincerely apologised” to passengers for “any inconvenience caused” following the incident.
It said: “This flight from Palma to Manchester, on July 4, discontinued take-off due to a false fire warning light indication. Passengers were disembarked using the inflatable slides and returned to the terminal.
“While disembarking, a small number of passengers encountered very minor injuries (ankle sprains, etc.) and crew requested immediate medical assistance.
“To minimise disruption to passengers, we quickly arranged a replacement aircraft to operate this flight, which departed Palma at 07:05 this morning. We sincerely apologise to affected passengers for any inconvenience caused.”