On a late evening in early November, an easyJet flight carrying holidaymakers home from the Red Sea resort of Hurghada touched down in Edinburgh to find medical teams already waiting for it. At least seven people on board had fallen ill over the course of the journey, and a child had developed a rash no one could yet explain. The cause remains unknown, as such episodes often do in the first hours after they happen, and the airline has said only that its crew did what they could. It is a small moment in the long, ordinary business of people travelling across borders and falling sick in transit,
easyJet Flight From Egypt Lands in Edinburgh With Multiple Ill Passengers, Second Such Incident in Two Weeks
At least seven passengers, including a child with an unexplained rash, reportedly suffered fever, nausea and severe vomiting during the flight.
What made them ill is not known.
Mark
Seven people ill on one flight is a lot. Why is this getting attention beyond the passengers themselves?
Mimi
Because it's the second time in two weeks. On October 22 an easyJet flight from Sharm el-Sheikh to Glasgow had at least eight people vomiting at once. Now Hurghada to Edinburgh, with at least seven ill.
Mark
And what were the symptoms this time?
Mimi
High temperatures, flu-like symptoms, nausea, severe vomiting. One child also reportedly developed a rash nobody could explain.
Luke
Let's be careful with that word reportedly. The symptoms come from reports, and the seven is a minimum, not a count anyone has confirmed.
Mark
What has easyJet actually said?
Mimi
That medical services met the flight on landing because some customers were unwell, and that the crew did all they could. They haven't named a cause.
Luke
Right. Food poisoning or a contagious infection was floated, via AirLive, but that's speculation at this stage. Nothing confirms either.
Mark
But for October they did suggest a cause.
Mimi
Yes, they said some passengers thought it might be hotel food before departure. They also said no medical assistance was required on that flight.
Luke
And that's passengers' impression relayed by the airline, not a finding. Also, different resorts, different airports. A pattern is a question, not a conclusion.
Mark
So what's the honest takeaway?
Mimi
Both planes landed safely, and the cause of the November illnesses is still unknown.
The Pulse
- At least seven passengers were struck down mid-flight by fever, nausea and severe vomiting, with no clear cause yet identified.
- A child developed an unexplained skin rash, turning a cabin emergency into a worried search for answers.
- Crew alerted ground services, and medical teams were waiting on the tarmac when the plane landed safely at Edinburgh just after 11pm.
- Food poisoning and a contagious infection are the leading suspects, but neither has been confirmed and the true number may be higher.
- A near-identical outbreak on an Egypt-to-Scotland easyJet flight two weeks earlier has raised the question of whether a pattern is forming.
On a late evening in early November, an easyJet flight carrying holidaymakers home from the Red Sea resort of Hurghada touched down in Edinburgh to find medical teams already waiting for it. At least seven people on board had fallen ill over the course of the journey, and a child had developed a rash no one could yet explain. The cause remains unknown, as such episodes often do in the first hours after they happen, and the airline has said only that its crew did what they could. It is a small moment in the long, ordinary business of people travelling across borders and falling sick in transit, yet the fact that it echoes an earlier flight from Egypt to Scotland two weeks before gives it a weight that the individual cases alone would not carry.
At 11:10pm on Tuesday, 3 November, an easyJet Airbus touched down at Edinburgh Airport, and medical teams were waiting on the ground. The flight had left the Red Sea resort of Hurghada in Egypt, and somewhere over the journey a sudden wave of sickness had moved through the cabin.
At least seven passengers were said to have fallen ill with high temperatures, flu-like symptoms, nausea and severe vomiting. A child developed a skin rash that no one could yet explain. The aircraft, flying as EZY3320, had alerted air traffic control, and the crew had warned Edinburgh ahead of arrival. The plane landed safely. What caused the illness is still unknown. Food poisoning and a contagious infection have been suggested, but nothing has been established, and seven is the minimum reported figure.
easyJet said medical services met the flight because some customers were unwell, and that its crew had done all they could during the journey. The airline stressed that the wellbeing of customers and crew comes first.
The episode recalls an earlier flight from Egypt to Scotland. On 22 October, a flight from Sharm el-Sheikh to Glasgow reported at least eight passengers vomiting at once while over Dutch airspace, and the pilots contacted easyJet's operations centre. That plane also landed safely. easyJet then linked the case to food eaten at a resort hotel, though it said no medical help had been needed. The two incidents involve different resorts and airports, and whether they are connected has not been said. For now, only the October flight has an explanation, and the cause of the Edinburgh illnesses is the thing to watch.
At 11:10pm on Tuesday, November 3, an easyJet Airbus A320neo touched down at Edinburgh Airport, and medical teams were waiting for it. The flight, from the Red Sea resort of Hurghada in Egypt, had been carrying passengers who fell ill in the air.
Cabin crew reported a sudden outbreak of sickness during the journey. At least seven passengers were said to be suffering from high temperatures, flu-like symptoms, nausea and severe vomiting. One child reportedly developed a skin rash that had no explanation. The aircraft, flying as U23320, contacted air traffic control before landing, and ground crews and medical personnel at Edinburgh were alerted ahead of its arrival that evening.
The plane landed safely. What made people ill is not known. Initial reports, according to the aviation outlet AirLive, raised the possibility of food poisoning or a contagious infection, but neither has been established. These accounts are reported rather than confirmed, and the figure of seven is a minimum.
An easyJet spokesperson told the Mirror that the flight, which the airline refers to as EZY3320, was met by medical services on landing because of some unwell customers on board. The spokesperson said the crew did all they could to assist during the flight and that the wellbeing of customers and crew is the airline's highest priority.
The incident comes two weeks after a similar episode on another easyJet service from Egypt to Scotland. On October 22, flight U23116 from Sharm el-Sheikh to Glasgow reported at least eight passengers suffering severe vomiting at the same time. The alarm was raised while the aircraft was over Dutch airspace. According to reports from the cockpit, the pilots contacted easyJet's Flight Operations Centre to flag a rapidly developing medical emergency. The plane landed safely on Runway 23 at Glasgow at around 2:45am BST.
On that occasion easyJet pointed to a possible link with food eaten at a resort hotel before departure. A spokesperson said a small number of customers on flight EZY3116, which the airline dated to October 21, reported feeling unwell, and some indicated it might relate to hotel food. The airline said the crew informed the flight deck as a precaution only, that no medical assistance was required, and that the flight landed normally.
The two cases involve different Egyptian resorts, Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh, and different Scottish airports. Whether they share a cause, or are connected at all, has not been stated. For now, easyJet has offered an explanation only for the October flight, and none has been given for the November one. Any findings on the cause of the Edinburgh illnesses would be the thing to watch.
Notable Quotes
The flight was met by medical services on landing due to some unwell customers onboard, and the crew did all they could to assist.— easyJet spokesperson
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