On a November afternoon, a flight carrying holidaymakers home from Egypt's Red Sea coast reached Edinburgh with a cluster of its passengers unwell. It is the sort of quiet alarm that travel has always carried with it: people gathered in a metal tube at altitude, some suddenly feverish and vomiting, and a crew forced to reach out to the ground before the wheels touched down. What lies behind it, whether something carried between bodies or something eaten along the way, has not yet been said, and until it is, the story remains an open question about how fragile the shared air of a journey can be
Vomiting Illness Spreads on Hurghada-to-Edinburgh easyJet Flight, Prompting Air Traffic Control Contact
At least seven passengers fell ill with high temperatures, nausea and severe vomiting, and a child developed an unexplained rash during the flight.
Medical services were waiting when the plane touched down in Edinburgh.
Mark
So what actually happened on this flight?
Mimi
Passengers on easyJet's Hurghada to Edinburgh service on 3 November started falling ill in the air. At least seven had fever, nausea and heavy vomiting, and a child had a rash.
Luke
Where does the seven come from? Is that easyJet's number?
Mimi
No. The airline didn't give a count. It's from the reporting, and it's phrased as at least seven.
Mark
And the crew contacted air traffic control?
Mimi
Yes, before landing. Medical services then met the plane in Edinburgh.
Luke
Worth noting we don't know what was said in that contact, or whether it was a formal emergency call. The report only says it happened.
Mark
Do we know what made people sick?
Mimi
No. Nothing says whether it was infectious, food-related or something else.
Luke
Right, and the child's rash is described as unexplained. Nobody has connected it to the vomiting illness. Linking them would be a guess.
Mark
What did easyJet say?
Mimi
That medical services met the flight, that the crew did all they could, and that wellbeing is a top priority. It was a brief statement without detail.
Luke
So we have a confirmed event, an unconfirmed count and no cause. That's all the reporting can carry for now.
Der Puls
- At least seven passengers were struck down mid-flight by fever, nausea and severe vomiting on EasyJet EZY3320 from Hurghada.
- The crew's call to air traffic control before landing signalled that this was no ordinary in-flight discomfort.
- Medical teams were waiting on the tarmac in Edinburgh to meet a plane carrying passengers still in distress.
- A child's unexplained rash adds a second mystery that nobody has yet connected to the rest of the illness.
- The cause remains unknown, so passengers and health authorities are left waiting on whether this was contagious or something consumed.
On a November afternoon, a flight carrying holidaymakers home from Egypt's Red Sea coast reached Edinburgh with a cluster of its passengers unwell. It is the sort of quiet alarm that travel has always carried with it: people gathered in a metal tube at altitude, some suddenly feverish and vomiting, and a crew forced to reach out to the ground before the wheels touched down. What lies behind it, whether something carried between bodies or something eaten along the way, has not yet been said, and until it is, the story remains an open question about how fragile the shared air of a journey can be.
Flight EZY3320 left Hurghada, on Egypt's Red Sea coast, bound for Edinburgh on Tuesday 3 November. Somewhere over the journey, passengers began to fall ill, and by the time the aircraft reached Scotland, at least seven people were unwell.
The symptoms looked like a flu: high temperatures, nausea and severe vomiting. A child also developed a rash that has not been explained.
The crew was concerned enough to contact air traffic control before landing. When the plane touched down, medical services were waiting, because some customers were unwell. EasyJet said its crew did all they could during the flight and that the wellbeing of customers and crew comes first. The airline did not give a number of affected passengers, and the figure of at least seven comes from reporting rather than from the airline.
What caused the illness has not been reported. It is not yet known whether it was an infection passed between passengers, something eaten or drunk, or another source, and the child's rash has not been linked to the other symptoms. What comes next is any word from the airline or health authorities on the cause, and whether those met in Edinburgh have recovered.
Flight EZY3320 left Hurghada, on Egypt's Red Sea coast, bound for Edinburgh on Tuesday 3 November. Somewhere along the way, passengers began to get sick. By the time the aircraft reached Scotland, at least seven people had fallen ill.
The symptoms were those of a flu-like illness: high temperatures, nausea and severe vomiting. A child on board also developed a rash, and the cause of that has not been explained.
The situation was serious enough that the crew contacted air traffic control before landing. The source does not say exactly what was asked or relayed in that contact, only that it happened ahead of arrival in Edinburgh.
When the plane touched down, medical services were waiting. EasyJet confirmed that the flight was met by medical services on landing because some customers on board were unwell. The airline did not give a number of affected passengers or describe what treatment, if any, was given on the ground. The figure of at least seven comes from the reporting rather than from the airline.
In its statement, easyJet said its crew did all they could to assist during the flight, and that the wellbeing of customers and crew is its highest priority.
What caused the illness has not been reported. Nothing published so far says whether it was an infectious bug passed between passengers, something eaten or drunk before or during the journey, or some other source. The child's rash has likewise not been linked to the other symptoms.
What to watch for is any word from the airline or health authorities on what the illness was, and whether the passengers who were met by medical teams in Edinburgh have recovered.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
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 statement
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