EasyJet Airbus A320 conducts emergency landing after captain is incapacitated

An easyJet Airbus A320 passenger aircraft performed an emergency landing in Edinburgh in the United Kingdom as one of the flight crew reported a pilot had become incapacitated.

The incident occurred in the early hours of June 12, 2022, when the Airbus A320-200 aircraft belonging to British low-cost carrier easyJet, registered G-EZTK, was operating a scheduled flight U2-6938 between Heraklion in Greece and Edinburgh in the UK.

According to flight history found on Flightradar24.com, the plane was supposed to take off from Heraklion International Airport (HER) at 9.20 p.m. (UTC) and land at Edinburgh Airport (EDI) a few hours later on June 11, 2022. The flight was delayed by more than an hour due to undisclosed reasons, and the jet left Heraklion at around 10.48 p.m. (UTC).

Both crew members were performing their duties well until the descent phase of the flight. As reported by The Aviation Herald, when the aircraft was nearing its destination, it dived to 16,000 feet (FL160) altitude, as is usually done on the route. By the time the plane reached FL160, the first officer reported to Air Traffic Control (ATC) having a pilot incapacitation issue onboard and asked for permission for an immediate landing at EDI airport.

It later turned out that the captain of the flight became incapacitated after he left the flight deck for a short break. Passengers of the flight reportedly saw the pilot entering lavatory located in the front part of the plane, but he did not return to the cockpit. Thus, the first officer landed the jet himself on EDI airport’s Runway 24 at around 1:16 a.m. (UTC).

Once the aircraft reached its destination, the incapacitated pilot was taken under the care of local paramedics.