EasyJet Flight Diverts Mid-Air Emergency Over English Channel
An EasyJet flight from Manchester to Alicante was forced to make a dramatic U-turn this evening (28th August 2025) after declaring a mid-air emergency.
Emergency Signal Sparks Rapid Diversion
Flight EZY2033 took off from Manchester at 18:56 but soon after, while flying over the English Channel, the Airbus triggered a 7700 transponder code — the universal alert for a general emergency.
The plane promptly diverted back to the UK, touching down safely at London Gatwick at 19:55 after 1 hour and 34 minutes in the air.
Passengers Continued Journey on Replacement Flight
Following the unexpected landing, passengers were rebooked onto a replacement EasyJet flight that departed Gatwick about an hour later, finally landing in Alicante just after midnight.
EasyJet Issues Apology Over Incident
“We’re very sorry that your flight has now been diverted to London Gatwick Airport. This is due to a passenger welfare issue. The disruption to your flight is outside of our control and is considered to be an extraordinary circumstance.”
The airline confirmed the emergency wasn’t linked to technical issues but centred on passenger welfare concerns.
