EasyJet flight takes off from wrong point at major UK airport after cockpit error

An EasyJet flight took off from the wrong point at a major UK airport following a cockpit error.

Aviation safety body Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) revealed a plane departing Luton Airport on June 13 last year came within just 65 feet of the runway's end after crew members began to take off from an incorrect position.

Flight EZY2335, an Airbus A320-214, was carrying 180 passengers and six more crew members and was en route to Málaga Costa del Sol Airport.

According to the AAIB report, the co-pilot had originally planned to depart from a runway position known as Intersection Alpha during pre-flight preparations.

However, given the aircraft's higher-than-normal weight combined with prevailing environmental conditions, the crew decided they lacked sufficient take-off performance from that point.

Both pilots agreed to recalculate using Luton's full runway length, which would permit a safe departure.

The aircraft ultimately departed from the wrong position, with the captain only recognising the error after returning to Luton later that day.

The other incident in Manchester took place after an Airbus A320 was cleared to use Runway 23R via intersection J1, which would have provided more than 2,500 metres for departure.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has now issued a report on the separate incident at the major UK travel hub on July 6 last year.

During the incident, an EasyJet Airbus A320 bound for Kos departed from the wrong runway intersection, shrinking the distance for the aircraft to become airborne.

Instead, the crew entered at intersection J2, which was positioned further along the runway, leaving much less distance for the vehicle.

Neither pilot identified the mistake until after the aircraft was airborne and headed towards Greece.

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The AAIB classified this as a serious runway-related occurrence.

It warned that the situation could have proved far more dangerous had the aircraft been heavier, weather conditions deteriorated, or an engine malfunction occurred during the take-off roll.

Investigators attributed the Luton error to "probably a combination of the crews' habitual behaviour and confirmation bias".

It said three aircraft had departed from Intersection Alpha immediately beforehand.

An opportunity was missed to inform air traffic control of the requirement for a full-length departure, the safety body stressed.

The AAIB also observed that both pilots may have been occupied with other pre-departure tasks.

An EasyJet spokesman said: "[Our] pilots are trained to the highest industry standards and the safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is EasyJet's highest priority."

The carrier confirmed it has undertaken a review of its take-off operating procedures and fully cooperated with both investigations.

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