An easyJet flight was forced to turn back to Manchester Airport due to a "technical fault".
Passengers on the Prague-bound plane had to return just 20 minutes after take-off. The jet is believed to have had an issue with the flaps on the wings and had to circle over Blackburn before heading back to Manchester last night (Friday).
Mum Natalie Dykes, 33, said passengers were told the plane had to return due to a "computer fault" and could hear a whirring noise when back on the tarmac.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News whilst still on the ground , Ms Dykes said: "The noise was once we had landed, I think it was the engine. It's the first time I’ve ever landed back at base without the holiday in between but everyone on board is all in good spirits which has helped the situation for sure."
Videos from on-board the aircraft seen by the Manchester Evening News show an engineer was called to the plane, and was successfully able to fix the fault. The pilot told passengers the issue was "not unusual" and should be "rest assured" that the fault had been resolved.
When the pilot announced the aircraft was safe to depart, shouts could be heard coming from other holidaymakers. According to Ms Dykes, one passenger left the aircraft, delaying the plane as crew worked to make sure they had their luggage with them.
After the fault had been resolved, the trip was delayed again when the pilot informed them that they had to ask for special permission to land in Prague after 10pm due to a special Noise Protection Zone to limit the number of flights coming in and out of the airport between 10pm and 6am.
However, the flight was given permission to land, and passengers were told they could get their flight underway, with the plane taking off at around 8.40pm and landing an hour and 45 minutes later, at around 11.25pm in Prague's local time.
A spokesperson for the airline said: "easyJet can confirm that flight EZY1801 from Manchester to Prague on 9 September returned to Manchester airport shortly after take-off due to a suspected technical issue. The aircraft landed safely and customers stayed on board while the aircraft was being investigated by engineers before being declared as serviceable.
“The aircraft departed later on and continued its journey to Prague. The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew is easyJet's highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers’ guidelines.”
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