LONDON — An easyJet flight bound for Prague was delayed by nearly an hour at London Gatwick Airport earlier today after a passenger suffered a panic attack shortly after pushback, forcing the aircraft to return to its stand.
Flight U28781, operated by an Airbus A319 (registration G-EZGK), was originally scheduled to depart Gatwick’s North Terminal at 16:15 GMT.
After pushing back from Gate 683 to begin its departure sequence, cabin crew were alerted that a passenger on board had fallen unwell and was experiencing a panic attack. Prioritizing passenger welfare, the flight crew aborted the departure and taxied the aircraft back to the stand.
Once back at the gate, the affected passenger was able to disembark safely. Following standard operational procedures to finalize the revised passenger manifest and re-secure the cabin, the aircraft underwent a second pushback.
The Airbus A319 subsequently taxied to the threshold of Runway 26L, finally taking off just before 17:00 GMT. Due to the incident on the ground, flight U28781 is expected to arrive at Václav Havel Airport Prague (PRG) approximately one hour behind schedule.
