Passengers on an EasyJet flight from London Southend Airport to Malaga were asked to leave after the pilot announced the aircraft was too heavy for take-off under the weather conditions.

The flight, U2 7008, was scheduled to depart at 08:40 BST on Saturday, when the crew informed passengers that the aircraft’s weight had exceeded the safe take-off limit for the runway conditions.

Five passengers then voluntarily stepped down.

According to the BBC, an EasyJet spokesperson said the restriction was caused by a combination of weather conditions and the short length of Southend’s runway, stressing that passenger safety remained the airline’s top priority.

“The safety and welfare of our passengers and crew is always easyJet’s highest priority,” the spokesperson said. 

According to the airline, customers who agreed to leave were transferred free of charge from Essex to London Gatwick, where they were placed on an alternative flight to Malaga later the same day. 

The passengers are also expected to receive compensation.

According to Youth Sender, a passenger Carly Mowbray, who was onboard, said travellers were presented with three options before departure.

“We were told option one: six people get off. Option two: they leave the luggage or option three: we go nowhere,” Ms Mowbray said, according to local outlet Your Southend.

She added that there had already been empty seats on the aircraft before additional passengers volunteered to leave, describing it as “a rough start to a short weekend getaway.”

After enough passengers agreed to step off the plane, the flight departed only slightly behind schedule.

“The people who got off departed to a round of applause from those of us that stayed. The flight crew said they had not experienced it before either,” she added.

Another traveller, Paul Baker, said the issue was not entirely unusual at Southend Airport because of its runway length.

“I’ve experienced it twice before from Southend. It’s because Southend has one of the shortest runways and so a fully laden plane won’t be able to take off before it runs out of runway,” Mr Baker said.