EasyJet flights: Flight from Egypt to Manchester Airport forced to emergency land after pilot collapses

The easyJet flight had been travelling from Hurghada in Egypt to Manchester when one of the pilots had a medical emergency. Due to the medical emergency, the flight was diverted to Athens, where the remaining pilot needed to circle the airport.

Emergency vehicles waited for the plane on the runway in Athens in order to treat the other pilot. A passenger, who did not want to be named, told The Manchester Evening News they were two hours into the flight when they realised something was wrong.

The passenger said: "At first we thought this may of been a passenger as nothing much was being said other than the screams asking if anyone is medically trained, where a few passengers got up and assisted the cabin crew." The passenger also recalled a screen was pulled across the front part of the plane to give privacy to the pilot.

They added: "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. The terrified passengers were told the remaining pilot would need to make an emergency landing.

An easyJet told the outlet: "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.”