Gatwick pilot rages “I don’t need this” over loudspeaker amid 7-hour delay

The Wizz Air pilot got a load off his mind over the intercom as the plane stood on the tarmac at Gatwick Airport for several hours, its take off to Cyprus having been severely delayed

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WizzAir pilot ‘tells off’ passengers after seven hour delay

A Wizz Air pilot ranted “I don’t need this” over the plane Tannoy during a seven-hour delay.

Passengers aboard the flight from Gatwick Airport to Cyprus were shocked to hear the plane’s captain unload on the loudspeaker.

The weary passengers listened as the fraught-sounding pilot told them the plane wouldn’t leave that night if they decided to get off.

The Wizz Air pilot was heard saying: “Show of hands please, who wants to get off?

“We won’t be going tonight if you get off. You know, I don’t need this, the crew doesn’t need this.

Have you been affected by the delays or cancellations? Email us on webtravel@trinitymirror.com

“We are doing what we can to get you out of here. It’s out of my control. Completely out of my control.

“We’re doing everything we can. If you want to get off, I’ll let you off, no problem.”

The rant was caught on cameras by Hannah Mace, who filmed her pals bursting into laughter in a clip uploaded to TikTok.

Commenters on the website were sympathetic towards the frustrated pilot.

One person wrote: “To be fair, I’m on his side. He’s probably extremely stressed and the crew are exhausted.”

Another said: “Oh bless him though. You can hear the pain in his voice.

“He wanted to get going as much as everyone else, must be hard to have everyone moaning at you.”

A Wizz Air spokesperson said: “Wizz Air sincerely apologises for the inconvenience caused by the delayed flight W95749, from Gatwick to Larnaca.

“This was initially a result of a late inbound aircraft, with further delays caused by Air Traffic Control issues at London Gatwick. Wizz Air has contacted affected customers directly to inform them about their rights.“

The Wizz Air passengers are by far from the only ones to be hit by lengthy delays at airports so far this year.

Steve Buckley found himself at the sharp end of such turmoil when his flight from Manchester Airport to Lanzarote was delayed by 24 hours, forcing him to stay in an airport hotel overnight.

At the end of his holiday he was stuck on the island for another day when the plane was again delayed overnight.

As well as many frustrated hours pacing around airports and sitting glumly on planes, the 61-year-old construction worker had to beg for two extra days annual leave from his boss.

“Two or three times a year we go to Lanzarote,” Steve told the Mirror. “I have been late on a plane but never delayed like that. Staffing levels are terrible at the moment.

“It took three hours to get through check-in. People were lugging bags around and running out of nappies. People had kids on that flight.”

Click here to read more about airport chaos.