Captain forced to abort take-off

The Easyjet plane was taking off from Belfast International Airport.

The captain of an Easyjet plane was forced to abort a take-off from Belfast on Monday because of fears about the weight in the hold.

The 0730 BST flight from Belfast International Airport to Luton was delayed for two and a half hours on Monday as the weight was rebalanced.

The captain said that he had never witnessed anything like it in 20 years.

But Easyjet said he was referring to two separate problems - the other involving the plane's forward door.

In a statement, Easyjet said the delay of two and a half hours was due to a possible technical problem and weight distribution issue.

"The flight was initially delayed following a problem with the forward door not opening as easily as it should.

"When the aircraft later pushed back, the captain then decided not to proceed with take-off, following an indication of a possible problem involving the distribution of weight and balance of the aircraft."

The company said the plane did not attempt to take off twice.

"The captain's comment 'I have not experienced this in 20 years of flying', was in reference to the coincidence of passengers experiencing two very different issues on their flight, causing the delay of their departure.

"He reassured them that Easyjet fly one of the world's most modern fleet," the statement said.