midair

The airline said crew did everything they could to help the passenger

An easyJet passenger has died on a flight to Lanzarote. Crew members did everything they could to assist during the medical emergency, the airline said.

A distress signal was issued as part of the airline’s procedures. The incident occurred on Tuesday, the airline told Le Parisien.

The flight on which the incident happened was travelling from Nantes in France to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. French media reports say the incident occurred on flight EJU4775.

The captain issued a distress signal before “making a routine landing in accordance with standard procedures”. “Our crews are trained to respond to medical emergencies and did everything they could during the flight,” the airline told Le Parisien.

“Our thoughts are with the passenger’s family and friends, and we offer them our full support and assistance at this difficult time. The wellbeing and safety of our passengers and crew are always easyJet’s top priority.”

Ouest-France said the incident caused major delays for the return flight from Lanzarote to Nantes. The return flight, which was scheduled to land at 2.45 pm in Nantes, eventually landed at around 11 pm.

THIS is the moment a passenger is dragged off a Ryanair plane after sparking a bloody brawl.

He reportedly attempted to yank open the emergency door mid-air during the flight from Bournemouth to Girona, Spain, on Thursday.

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The plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Toulouse, France, so the troublemaker could be booted off.

Footage from the runway in Toulouse shows four cops carrying the bloke, who is lying limp and handcuffed in their arms.

They dump him down onto the tarmac as others stand guard.

The man – seen in a white t-shirt and orange shorts – apparently burst out with: “I want to go,” before making a beeline for the plane’s door.

Other passengers – realising he was intent on opening the hatch – jumped to stop him and a scrap followed.

The unidentified man allegedly spat and threw punches at fellow passengers before he was pinned to the floor.

A seatbelt was even bound around his legs to immobilise the troublemaker.

After being plonked back into a seat, he is said to have aimed a headbutt at a pensioner sitting next to him.

Other passengers broke down in tears and even suffered panic attacks in the face of his aggression.

One witness said: “The whole event was very traumatic.

“The man had gone into the toilet and then afterwards was trying opening one of the emergency exit doors.

“He then went to try the other shouting ‘I want to go.’

“That’s when a huge brawl started with a lot more than one man trying to get him away from the doors.

“There was a big punch up and he then finally got taken down in the isle and was pinned to the floor where they then managed to get a seatbelt extender round his ankles to stop him kicking.”

Fellow passenger David Malone said: “They started brawling in the middle of the plane.

“It went on for about 30 minutes and one guy was completely off his head, it took about three people to restrain him.

“It was horrible, there was blood everywhere there were people screaming and crying.

“It was horrible, disgusting really. It made you ashamed to be British to be honest.

“It’s sad really, I felt sorry for the staff. Something needs to be done about the amount of alcohol they allow people to consume at the airport.”

It’s understood the man had been fighting with another person in his group before heading for the doors.

After the man had been removed, the plane continued on to Girona, landing around two hours behind schedule.

A spokesperson for Ryanair said: “This flight from Bournemouth to Girona (4 Sept) was diverted to Toulouse after a passenger became disruptive onboard.

“Crew called ahead for police assistance, who met the aircraft upon landing at Toulouse Airport and offloaded this passenger before this flight continued to Girona.

“Ryanair has a strict zero tolerance policy towards passenger misconduct and will continue to take decisive action to combat unruly passenger behaviour, ensuring that all passengers and crew travel in a respectful and stress-free environment, without unnecessary disruption.”

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Sept. 1 (UPI) — One person is dead and three others were injured following a midair collision between two planes that were attempting to land at a northeastern Colorado airport over the weekend, authorities and officials said.

The collision involved a Cessna 172 and an Extra Flugzeugbau EA300 at about 10:40 a.m. MDT Sunday at Fort Morgan Municipal Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which, along with the National Transportation Safety Board, is investigating the crash.

Fort Morgan, a city of about 11,800 people, is located roughly 80 miles northeast of Denver.

The FAA said there were two people aboard each small plane, and that the planes collided while attempting to land at the airport.

The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office said the Cessna was on final approach when it was struck by the Extra Flugzeugbau.

“Both aircraft crashed and caught fire,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

One occupant of the Extra Flugzeugbau was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other was transported to a local hospital, the sheriff’s office said, adding that the two occupants of the Cessna sustained only minor injuries and were released at the airport.

The extent of the hospitalized victim’s injuries was unknown.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the victim in this tragic event,” the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office said.

The aviator lost consciousness while in the cockpit of the budget airline’s service from Barcelona to Porto, a source from the National Institute of Medical Emergencies said

A pilot fainted while flying a Ryanair plane on Sunday, according to reports.

The aviator lost consciousness while in the cockpit of the budget airline’s service from Barcelona to Porto, a source from the National Institute of Medical Emergencies told Portugal Resident. At 8:19 a.m. on Sunday, August 10, the pilot suffered “a rapidly recovering syncope” and “apparently recovered during the flight,” the publication reported.

The pilot came back to consciousness and the plane continued its journey from Barcelona’s El Prat Airport to Porto’s Francisco Sá Carneiro. The plane landed normally, an official source from Portugal’s EKAB told the Portuguese agency Lusa. News of the incident comes at the end of a week in which baggage handlers who work on Ryanair services announced they’re going on strike.

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An ambulance from the Moreira da Maia Fire Department and a medical vehicle, emergency vehicle (VMER) from the Pedro Hispano Hospital went to Sá Carneiro Airport to meet the plane. “The pilot received assistance on the spot, but refused to go to the hospital and stayed at the airport,” the National Institute of Medical Emergencies said, according to Portugal Resident.

Despite the medical incident, flight data show that the only Ryanair flight that arrived this Sunday morning at Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport from Barcelona (Spain) was flight FR 4587, which arrived at 8:35 a.m. at Terminal 1, as it had been scheduled to do.

The Mirror put the claims to Ryanair’s press office. A spokesperson for the airline said: “Ryanair has procedures and training in place to deal with situations where a pilot becomes unwell in flight. This flight from Barcelona to Porto (10 Aug), landed safely at Porto Airport.”

Holidaymakers going to Spain this month are facing a fresh blow as new strikes have been announced affecting major airports and airlines across parts of the country. The UGT union previously stated there will be a series of strikes affecting Ryanair’s baggage handling department.

These are set to start on August 15. However, there is now increased potential for delays and flight cancellations after 1,500 workers with a second firm, Menzies, said it would hold its own industrial action, which will also start in August.

Menzies services a number of major airlines including British Airways, easyJet, Wizz Air, American Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Emirates and Norwegian. The UGT union said the strike by ground staff of the Menzies group will affect five Spanish airports, including Barcelona-El Prat, Alicante, Palma, Malaga and Tenerife South, on August 16, 17, 23, 24, 30 and 31.

A British holidaymaker has claimed she was sexually assaulted while parasailing in Sousse, Tunisia.

Michelle Wilson, 52, from Southport, Merseyside, says the parasail operator pressed himself against her and groped her mid-air during what should have been a thrilling ride.

Michelle had planned to go on a tandem parasail flight with a friend, but was told it was too windy in Tunisia that day and they would have to fly separately, each accompanied by an operator.

She said her friend went up first “and had a great time, with no problems”, noting there was plenty of distance between her friend and the operator.

However, Michelle’s own experience was very different.

The mum-of-three said:

“I could feel the back of my bikini bottoms being pulled and he was pulling the strap. He must have been tightening the harness to get me closer. His legs straddled around me, he had one hand up on the parachute, the other wasn’t. Then I felt him touch my leg.”

She continued: “He was groping me and moving back and forth into me and talking to me in Arabic. I felt him pressing against me. I kept arching my back.

“I felt violated and dirty and was scared. He was only a young lad, maybe around 20. It was a horrible experience and I was really scared. I felt helpless hanging in the air.”

Michelle burst into tears after landing and reported the incident to the water sports centre’s manager before going to the local police.

The £6,000 easyJet package holiday had been booked for Michelle, her 17-year-old daughter, her 16-year-old twin boys, and her daughter’s 17-year-old friend.

However, she said she felt unable to enjoy the rest of the trip after what happened.

She added: “As women you expect a bit of banter from men in these countries, but this wasn’t banter, it was a sexual assault.”

Michelle believes her alleged attacker has since been arrested, and that both her insurance firm and the Foreign Office are now involved in the case.

An easyJet spokesperson said:

“The safety and wellbeing of our customers is a priority, and we are continuing to support Ms Wilson. We are also liaising closely with our hotel partner to look into the reports.”

July 21 (UPI) — A SkyWest flight performed an “aggressive maneuver” to avoid a collision with another aircraft on the same flight course.

The SkyWest flight departed from Minnesota to North Dakota on Friday when a B-52 bomber “became visible in their flight path” as it prepared to land in Minot International Airport.

The pilot was then forced to perform “a go-around” to avoid collision with the aircraft.

After the flight — Delta 3788, operated by SkyWest — landed safely, the pilot apologized to the passengers.

“Given his speed … I don’t know how fast they were going, but they were a lot faster than us, I felt it was the safest thing to do to turn behind it,” the pilot said, according to video of his announcement to passengers. “So sorry about the aggressive maneuver, it caught me by surprise. This is not normal at all. I don’t know why they didn’t give us a heads up, because the Air Force base does have radar … long story short, it was not fun, but I do apologize for it and thank you for understanding. Not a … not a fun day at work.”

The pilot added that controllers at the airport rely on visuals to make calls as it does not have radar.

“I just remember the plane going, sideways and just looking straight out the window and just seeing grass, like you weren’t seeing the skyline anymore,” said Monica Green who shared video of the pilot’s apology to social media.

Both SkyWest and the Air Force announced they were investigating the incident.

“We are aware of the recent reporting regarding commercial and Air Force aircraft operating in airspace around Minot International Airport. We are currently looking into the matter. We can confirm that a B-52 aircraft assigned to Minot AFB conducted a flyover of the North Dakota State Fair Friday evening,” an Air Force spokesperson said

The US agency harshly criticised Boeing’s safety culture as well as ineffective oversight by the FAA.

Boeing failed to provide adequate training, guidance and oversight to prevent a midair cabin panel blowout of a new 737 MAX 9 flight in January 2024, which spun the planemaker into a major crisis, the United States National Transportation Safety Board has said.

The board on Tuesday harshly criticised Boeing’s safety culture and its failure to install four key bolts in a new Alaska Airlines MAX 9 during production, as well as the ineffective oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said at a board meeting that the incident was entirely avoidable because the planemaker should have addressed the unauthorised production that was identified in numerous Boeing internal audits, reports and other forums for at least 10 years.

“The safety deficiencies that led to this accident should have been evident to Boeing and to the FAA,” Homendy said. “It’s nothing short of a miracle that no one died or sustained serious physical injuries.”

Boeing’s on-the-job training was lacking, the NTSB said, adding that the planemaker is working on a design enhancement that will ensure the door plug cannot be closed until it is firmly secured.

The accident prompted the US Department of Justice to open a criminal investigation and declare that Boeing was not in compliance with a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement. CEO Dave Calhoun announced he would step down within a few months of the midair panel blowout.

Homendy praised new Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, but said, “He has his work cut out for him, a lot of challenges to address, and that’s going to take time.”

Boeing said it regretted the accident and was continuing to work on strengthening safety and quality across its operations.

The FAA said on Tuesday that it has “fundamentally changed how it oversees Boeing since the Alaska Airlines door-plug accident and we will continue this aggressive oversight to ensure Boeing fixes its systemic production-quality issues”.

Damaged reputation

The incident badly damaged Boeing’s reputation and led to a grounding of the MAX 9 for two weeks as well as a production cap of 38 planes per month by the FAA, which still remains in place.

“While Boeing is making progress, we will not lift the 737 monthly production cap until we are confident the company can maintain safety and quality while making more aircraft,” the FAA added.

Boeing created no paperwork for the removal of the 737 MAX 9 door plug – a piece of metal shaped like a door covering an unused emergency exit – or its re-installation during production, and still does not know which employees were involved, the NTSB said on Tuesday.

Then-FAA administrator Michael Whitaker said in June 2024 that the agency was “too hands off” in Boeing oversight and has boosted the number of inspectors at Boeing and the MAX fuselage manufacturer’s, Spirit AeroSystems, factories.

Boeing agreed last July to plead guilty to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge after two fatal 737 MAX crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. But it last month struck a deal with the US Justice Department to avoid a guilty plea.

The Justice Department has asked a judge to approve the deal, which will allow Boeing to avoid pleading guilty or facing oversight by an outside monitor.

Earlier this month, Boeing’s problems resurfaced when an Air India flight crashed soon after takeoff from the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, killing all but one on board. The aircraft being flown was a nearly 12-year-old Dreamliner. Investigations behind that crash are currently under way.

AN EASYJET passenger was left petrified after a group of rowdy “drunk” Brits turned her Ibiza flight into a “nightclub”.

Furious Spaniard Erika Barrachina claimed she suffered a “panic attack” after the mid-air raucous where she had to cope with “scum” passengers.

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The Ibiza resident blasted that these type of tourists should never have been allowed to board the plane in the first place.

Shocking footage showed a packed plane with passengers appearing to bang on luggage compartments and yell: “Come on Ibiza!”

Multiple travellers appeared to be waving their arms and legs around while sat during the loud journey.

And some who seemingly found the whole situation hilarious decided to record the noisy chanting.

The Spanish local said that her “flight from London to Ibiza was absolutely horrible“.

The passenger said she was “scared” while travelling on the jet “full of real English animals”.

“Everyone standing, screaming, guys hitting each other, drinking bottles of alcohol one after the other and stopping the flight attendants from doing their job,” she added.

The appalled passenger called her experience: “Real hell.”

She said of the footage which she managed to record: “This video is the just the end because I couldn’t film what happened during the journey.”

Barrachina also claimed that Brit passengers were drunk and high before boarding.

She continued: “Taking pills and drinking alcohol at the same time, which I saw with my own eyes.

“It was a really wild 2.5 hour flight.”

The Spanish passenger raged: “This shouldn’t be allowed. They shouldn’t let scum like this get on a plane or sell alcohol on board.

“We don’t want this type of tourism in Ibiza, they should stay at home.”

She branded the uncontrollable Brits “wild animals”.

The Ibiza resident also told a local Ibizan newspaper: “I’m not afraid of flying because I’ve flown around the world but I had a panic attack because it was like being in a pub, in a nightclub, but in the air.”

She claimed that multiple air stewards asked some of the passengers for their documentation, only to be told: “F**k off.”

The “wild” passengers were let off the plane after reaching Ibiza airport and identifying themselves.

EasyJet told The Sun: “We can confirm that flight EZY2307 from Luton to Ibiza on May 16 was met by police on arrival due to a group of passengers behaving in a disruptive manner.

“The safety and wellbeing of passengers and crew is always easyJet’s priority.

“Whilst such incidents are rare we take them very seriously and do not tolerate disruptive behaviour onboard.”

Barrachina posted the footage on Saturday – one day before thousands of people marched in Canary Islands capitals as part of a new anti-mass tourism protest.

Locals in the Balearic Islands, which include Ibiza, are due to stage their protest on June 15.