19 passengers told to get off easyJet flight before it takes off

Passengers were forced off an easyJet flight after it was unable to take off because it was "too heavy".

The flight from Lanzarote's Arrecife Airport to John Lennon Airport, Liverpool, was delayed because of the plane's weight and severe weather conditions. Initially, the flight was supposed to take off at 9.45pm on Wednesday, July, however did not leave until around 11.30pm.

A clip of the flight crew can see an announcement being made to passengers. In the clip, the pilot can be heard informing passengers that the flight is heavy due to the density of passengers onboard, the Liverpool Echo reports.

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The pilot said: "Thank you for getting here today. Because there are so many of you it's a pretty heavy aircraft.

"That heavy aircraft combined with a pretty short runway and with the current unfavourable conditions here in Lanzarote, means the aircraft is too heavy to take off. I've been sat with my senior first officer and we're very experienced with this and have done this before.

"With safety as our number one priority, there is no way, with the current wind conditions, that we could get this aircraft airborne. There are a number of factors - it's very hot, the wind isn't fantastic, the direction isn't great.

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"Now, you might be wondering what happens next and that's what I've come in here to say. I have spoken with our operations team and the one way to solve a problem with a heavy aircraft is to make it slightly lighter.

"If possible, I would like to ask up to 20 volunteers to choose not to fly to Liverpool tonight. If anyone wants to volunteer