An EasyJet aircraft scheduled to depart Manchester Airport for Lanzarote was grounded on the tarmac after its nose gear made contact with a pushback tug on Saturday morning, airline and witness accounts said.
Flight EZY2029, which was due to leave Terminal 1 at 7 a.m. local time on Sept. 13, 2025, was held while emergency crews attended and safety checks were carried out. Passengers were disembarked and returned to the terminal, where EasyJet said it provided refreshments and arranged an alternative aircraft to operate the service later in the day.
Witnesses and footage shared on social media showed a substantial emergency response at the gate following the contact between the aircraft’s front wheels and the tug, a vehicle used during pushback operations. The tug is deployed to move aircraft away from the terminal stand because many airliners cannot reverse under their own power.
An EasyJet spokesperson said: “Flight EZY2029 from Manchester to Lanzarote this morning has been delayed departing after the tug came into contact with the aircraft during pushback from the terminal.” The airline added that emergency services attended “as a precautionary and routine measure only.”
No injuries were reported, and Manchester Airport operations were not otherwise disrupted, though one gate was temporarily closed while checks were carried out. Passengers were subsequently boarded onto an alternative aircraft scheduled to operate the service later that afternoon, the airline said.
Manchester Evening News reported that the incident prompted a rapid response from ground crews and emergency teams, and that passengers were accommodated back in the terminal during the delay. EasyJet said safety remained its highest priority and apologised for the inconvenience caused.
Airport ground handling routinely involves coordinated procedures between cockpit crews, ground engineers and tug operators to move aircraft away from stands and into taxiways. Incidents involving ground equipment contact with aircraft are typically followed by visual inspections and, when necessary, maintenance checks to confirm airworthiness before a flight departs.
Regulators or airport authorities had not issued any public safety alerts related to the event as of Saturday afternoon. EasyJet and Manchester Airport declined to provide additional technical details beyond the statement that the tug contacted the aircraft during pushback and that the response was precautionary.
The delayed EZY2029 did not result in reported knock-on delays to other flights from Manchester that morning, according to airport sources and the airline’s statement. Further information may be provided by the airline or airport as post-incident inspections are completed.