EasyJet flight forced to return to Gatwick after ‘fumes’ smelt in cockpit as plane met by fire services

An EASYJET flight was forced to return to Gatwick after a smell of smoke appeared in the cockpit.

The flight had to turn around and return to Sussex Airport shortly after departing for Barcelona this afternoon.

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After landing safely, the aircraft was met on the tarmac by firefighters.

This came after “a smell of smoke” was detected in the cockpit of the plane shortly after takeoff.

All passengers had to leave the plane and return to the terminal, where they had to wait hours for another flight to Spain.

An EasyJet spokesman said: “We can confirm that flight EZY8059 from London Gatwick to Barcelona returned to Gatwick today as a precautionary measure due to a smell of smoke in the cockpit.”

“The aircraft landed safely and was routinely picked up by the fire department.

“The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew is easyJet’s top priority.

“The passengers were brought to the terminal as usual and we are currently planning their onward journey.”

“We would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused by the delay.”

This comes after thousands of Brits canceled their flights last night due to further air traffic control problems.

And a technical glitch at the Nats also caused widespread disruption at airports across the UK last week.

And last night around 58 flights to and from Gatwick Airport were canceled due to another ATC issue, affecting around 9,000 passengers.

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