A flight carrying English fans returning from Berlin was forced to make an emergency landing due to what the airline described as an “unidentifiable odour in the cabin”.
The plane to Manchester had to return to the German airport this morning, just minutes after departure.
Flight EW8470 took off at 8:09 a.m. and climbed to 10,000 feet before turning around and landing back in Berlin at 8:26 a.m., flight tracking systems showed.
The aircraft was met by airport firefighters and the approximately 150 passengers and crew on board the Airbus A319 were evacuated and returned to the terminal.
Britons on board complained of being ‘stranded’ and not being given information, with one passenger saying many had to go through passport control again.
The plane returned to Berlin airport a few minutes after take-off
Gareth Davies, from Wigan, told The Independent: ‘A few minutes into the flight the captain came and said we had to go back to Berlin because a warning light was flashing on the controls.
“When we landed, we sat there for a while and a burning smell came into the cabin,” he said.
He added that passengers had been told not to worry about the fire trucks on the ground and that they could take their luggage with them.
They were then taken by bus to the terminal, where, he said, no one was present except for passport control staff.
“We weren’t told what would happen, so we all went through passport control,” he said.
‘People had no idea where their luggage was and many left the baggage claim. I only had hand luggage.’
Flight EW8470 took off at 8:09 a.m. and climbed to 10,000 feet before turning around and landing back in Berlin at 8:26 a.m., flight tracking systems showed.
In an article on X, he wrote that a Eurowings representative was present to meet the passengers at the plane. According to him, the airline “just put us all back in the airport, without any communication.”
Mr Davies also wrote on X that a flight attendant had told him not to take photos or videos because they did not want ‘bad publicity on social media’.
According to Eurowings, passengers and crew were “at no time” in danger during the incident.
It also told German media that passengers are now being rebooked on alternative flights.
The airline said in a statement: ‘Flight EW8470 returned to Berlin unscheduled this morning due to a strange odor in the cabin.
‘The aircraft was subsequently inspected without any findings. As a result, the flight will be delayed and all passengers have already been informed by text message.’