Passengers on an Aer Lingus flight from Zurich to Dublin on Saturday were told the aircraft was going to make an emergency landing into the sea.
“I was sitting down near the back with my son, who had headphones on,” said a passenger who lives in Zurich and was on the flight. As best he could remember, the pre-recorded message said: “Ladies and gentlemen, this is an emergency. Please prepare for a ditched landing.”
He said there was very little reaction to the announcement, possibly because so many people had headphones on. He did make eye contact with one woman who was sitting nearby and minding children.
The flight attendants were behind the curtains at each end of the aircraft, and no-one came rushing out to tell passengers what to do, which is a good sign.
However about two minutes later the passengers were told to ignore the announcement, which was made when the flight was over the sea.
The Airbus A320 (reg. EI-DEP) landed without further incident on schedule at Dublin Airport, soon after midday.
A spokeswoman for the airline said that during Aer Lingus flight EI343 from Zurich to Dublin an incorrect pre-recorded announcement was momentarily played on board.
“A follow up announcement was made advising passengers of the error. At no point during the flight was there any risk to the safety of the aircraft or those on board.”
