Flight LS879 departed from Manchester to the island of Alicante in Spain's Mediterranean region at 7h on 20/1.

After presenting their boarding passes to ground staff, a group of passengers followed a turn leading down a staircase. This path unexpectedly led to a dead end instead of the jet bridge to the aircraft. They were trapped in this area for 40 minutes without any information about the incident.

Jet2 is a British low-cost airline. Photo: BBC.

One of the stranded passengers, Matt from Denton, recounted arriving at the airport early with his son and heading to the boarding gate, only to find themselves caught in a chaotic crowd. "Instead of proceeding to the aircraft, we all, following the crowd's momentum, went down a staircase," the British man stated.

Matt initially believed staff would open a door or that they were waiting for a shuttle bus to the plane. "We stood there for 10, then 20, and 30 minutes, starting to wonder what was happening. We were trapped like animals in a cage. It was an unbelievable situation," he recounted.

While passengers tried to understand the unfolding situation, the aircraft took off, commencing its 2-hour 45-minute flight to Alicante. Matt only fully grasped the seriousness of the situation when a staff member rushed over to inform them of what had occurred.

He was stunned to learn that staff had not rechecked the passenger count before the plane's departure. The flight was missing at least 36 people.

"One would typically expect the captain to confirm if all passengers are on board. It's truly bizarre," he said, noting he had never imagined such an incident could happen.

Matt and the other passengers received a 13 USD voucher while they waited to see if another flight could take them to Alicante.

The airline subsequently arranged alternative flights for the passengers to Alicante and issued an apology. A representative stated that a full investigation into the incident is underway, in collaboration with airport officials.

This incident follows two similar occurrences in 2023. On 2/1/2023, 23 passengers on a Ryanair flight from Stansted Airport (London, England) to Zagreb (Croatia) found themselves trapped in a windowless, enclosed corridor.

After scanning their boarding passes, the group proceeded into the walkway, only to discover both ends were locked. In the cramped and stuffy space, many panicked, and children began to cry, prompting one passenger to pull the fire alarm for help. By the time airport staff arrived for rescue, the plane had already departed. Ryanair later admitted this was a "ground staff error," providing accommodation and rebooking the group for the following morning. The incident sparked public concern regarding the airport's operational procedures.

In the other incident, 55 passengers were on a shuttle bus when an Indian Go First Airways aircraft departed from Kempegowda Airport. The stranded passengers were transferred to another flight hours later and received ticket refunds.

Tam Anh (according to Manchester Evening News)