An easyJet flight to Tenerife full of rowdy British youths in their twenties was forced to turn around and land at Gatwick this morning after suffering a mid-air hydraulic failure.
EasyJet flight U28033, with up to 244 passengers on board, beeped distress code 7700 while flying over France.
Passenger Brian Marcel, 78, from London, was on his way to Tenerife for a three-day golfing holiday.
He said his plans were left in ruins after the flight turned around. EasyJet staff have warned passengers since landing that they may be kicked off any future flight if they misbehave.
Speaking from the plane, which was abandoned on the tarmac for an hour, Brian told MailOnline: ‘I was only going for three days. One day left.
“The plane is full of young people in their twenties – there are 244 of us. I could be the grandfather of everyone on board!
“You should be sitting with your seat belt on, but young people have no idea about discipline – they stand.
Were you on board? Email chris.matthews@mailonline.co.uk
A flight to Tenerife, which was packed with young people in their twenties, had to turn around after an emergency in the air
One of the plane’s hydraulic systems failed, forcing the plane to turn around
Passenger Brian Marcel, 78, (pictured) from London, was on his way to Tenerife for a three-day golfing holiday.
Waitrose accounts manager Annie Passingham, 32, (right) from Bracknell, was on board with her colleague Emily, also 32, (left) as they went on holiday. Annie said a group of men drinking vodka caused trouble for EasyJet staff after the plane turned around
When the plane landed, police boarded it and staff warned young people not to misbehave if they wanted to stay on the plane
Brian was finally able to leave the plane (pictured) around 11:45 a.m. after more than an hour on the tarmac
“We were an hour and a half into the flight when they told us they had lost the hydraulic system.
“This is where the police meet us. We had to be towed because there was no hydraulics.’
Speaking to MailOnline, one of the EasyJet flight attendants told passengers they would be transferred to another flight at 1.30pm, which was met with cheers.
However, he warned passengers that any unruly youths would be kicked off the plane if they caused a disturbance until then.
Although Britain is enjoying a balmy day, Brian was hoping to be at the start of his three-day holiday in Tenerife.
After exiting the plane, passengers were taken to buses
The flight attendant said: ‘Any unruly behavior will result in you not being able to travel on our aircraft.’
Brian, who runs the IBCS Group barcode business in Eastern Europe, said there was no panic and no one said the word “emergency” when the plane turned around.
He added: “I was worried if the flaps would work because it’s a hydraulic system, but they were fine.”
The Airbus A321neo commercial aircraft that Brian was on experienced a hydraulic failure around 8:40 a.m., according to Flight Emergency.
Descending from his cruise level, he turned around and headed back to Gatwick.
An easyJet flight to Tenerife full of British holidaymakers made an emergency landing at Gatwick after hydraulics failed mid-air
EasyJet flight U28033, with up to 244 passengers on board, beeped distress code 7700 as it flew over France this morning (file image)
It was put into a holding pattern at 6,000 feet to burn fuel before landing – which can sometimes be needed to reduce weight or for maintenance issues.
Waitrose accounts manager Annie Passingham, 32, from Bracknell, was on board with her colleague Emily, also 32, when they went on holiday.
Annie said a group of men who bought duty-free vodka caused trouble for EasyJet staff after the plane turned around.
She told MailOnline: ‘The main problem was a group of guys who bought a lot of duty-free vodka.
“They were drinking, getting up and going to the bathroom when we were supposed to land.
“They were verbally aggressive.
She said they calmed down when police boarded the plane, but they were still banned from the next flight and would have to buy tickets from another airline if they wanted to go to Tenerife.
Annie said the emergency scared some of the children and also caused panic in the man who was getting married in Tenerife tomorrow.
In the end, she said the landing went well, although it was ‘a bit wobbly’. When they were finally allowed to get out, she told the officers to “make everyone leave one line at a time”.
A spokeswoman for Gatwick Airport said: “The aircraft landed safely and there was no operational impact on the airport.”
An EasyJet spokesman said: “We can confirm that the captain of flight EZY8033 from London Gatwick to Tenerife has decided to return to Gatwick as a precaution due to a technical issue.
“The captain made a routine landing in accordance with standard operating procedures and the passengers disembarked normally.
“We are securing a replacement aircraft to operate the flight to Tenerife and would like to thank customers for their patience and apologize for any inconvenience caused as a result of the delay.
“The safety and well-being of our customers and crew is our highest priority and easyJet operates its aircraft in strict accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.”