An easyJet holiday flight had to make an emergency landing after a cockpit accident that left the passenger jet‘s captain with a dislocated shoulder.
The senior officer was in so much pain he was unable to continue flying forcing the plane to divert to the nearest airport. The First Officer on the flight from Luton to Morocco landed the plane safely after it headed to Faro in Portugal.
The injured captain was met by paramedics and taken to hospital for treatment.
Flight data shows that on April 10, the Airbus A320 went into a sudden descent at over 5,000ft per minute once the request to land had been made to air traffic controllers.
Passengers on the flight to Agadir in Morocco were told they were diverting due to an on-board emergency. They were two hours into the three-and-a-half-hour flight from Luton airport when they were informed.
An airline source said they were not told the captain was no longer able to perform his duties and assist in flying the jet.
A spokesman for easyJet said the nature of the injury could not be revealed due to medical confidentiality.
But a source at Faro airport said the easyJet captain had suffered a dislocated shoulder.
It is not known how the injury occurred while he was seated in the cockpit.
The emergency was declared when flight EY2213 was about 60 miles from Faro airport in Portugal. The Airbus landed 18 minutes after the distress call.
A spokesman for easyJet said: ‘EasyJet can confirm that flight EZY2213 from Luton to Agadir on 10 April diverted to Faro due to the Captain requiring medical assistance. The First Officer landed the aircraft in line with standard operating procedures and the Captain was met by paramedics on arrival.
