An easyJet flight originally bound from Edinburgh to the Canary Islands had to be rerouted to London due to a situation involving passenger welfare. Departing Edinburgh Airport as Flight EZY3201 to Tenerife, the Airbus A320 was scheduled to touch down at Tenerife South Airport around 8.05pm but was redirected to Gatwick Airport following the welfare incident.
Flight tracking data indicated the aircraft was initially flying southwest at an altitude of approximately 35,000 feet over Brittany in northwest France before changing course to head northeast towards London. The plane safely landed at Gatwick Airport a little after 5.30pm, according to reports by the Daily Record.
easyJet confirmed that the diversion was prompted by a welfare concern but did not elaborate further. Notably, the flight crew did not issue a squawk 7700 code, commonly used to signal a general emergency situation.
In an online message to the affected passengers, easyJet expressed regret over the diversion, attributing it to a welfare issue deemed beyond their control and categorized as an extraordinary circumstance. The airline assured passengers of plans to refuel and resume the journey promptly, with updates to be provided by the crew.
The revised schedule indicated that the flight was anticipated to depart Gatwick at approximately 9.45pm to proceed to Tenerife, with an estimated arrival time of around 2.30am local time.
