Flight Grounded for More Than an Hour After Crew Accuses Passengers of Stealing a Phone
A flight bound for Albania was grounded for more than an hour at London Luton Airport in Luton, England, on Friday, April 25
According to multiple reports, the flight's crew accused passengers of stealing a security guard's phone and reviewed security camera footage to find the culprit
After a delay of more than an hour, the crew announced that the phone was not onboard and thanked passengers for their patience and "understanding"
A European flight was grounded for more than an hour as the crew onboard searched for a missing cell phone that they accused passengers of stealing.
According to reports from Birmingham Live, the Manchester Evening News and the Edinburgh Evening News, passengers aboard a plane bound for Tirana, Albania, at London Luton Airport in Luton, England, on Friday, April 25, were held in their seats for 90 minutes after staff accused them of stealing a security guard's phone.
The outlets reported that Wizz Air Flight W95004 was set to take off at 3:10 p.m. local time, and the plane was fully boarded when police arrived.
Per the outlets, staff were alerted to security camera footage captured in the airport that allegedly showed a passenger stealing the phone.
According to the Edinburgh Evening News, the crew made an announcement just before the original takeoff time to tell the flight's passengers: "We know the phone is onboard, now we should leave in two minutes. We cannot because of this. This is a security issue."
Related: American Airlines Gate Agent Goes Viral for Pointed Warning to Passengers After Flight Gets Delayed by 7 Hours
An anonymous passenger said that staff claimed they had called the missing phone and heard the cabin crew's announcements when someone answered the call, per the outlets.
Nearly one hour after the original departure time, a crew member informed passengers that investigators were still reviewing the security camera footage to locate the suspect.
"We still want to give the chance for this potential person who made the mistake to bring it before they will find it in the [security] video," he said in an announcement, per the outlets. "Once again, please voluntarily come to the front or to my colleagues at the back."
Eighty-eight minutes after the original flight time, a crew member made another announcement, saying: "There's no item on this plane. We're happy now with our security position to go."
Related: Sick Passenger Died After American Airlines Flight Crew Allegedly Delayed Getting Help Until Other Passengers Left Plane: Lawsuit
"I appreciate your understanding for this situation. It is for us as well quite a new one. We're doing our best and we will be on our way to Tirana very soon," he continued, per the outlets.
Video footage of the incident obtained by the outlets showed the passengers clapping and cheering when the flight finally took off for Albania.
A spokesperson for Wizz Air — a budget airline headquartered in Budapest, Hungary — told PEOPLE in a statement: "We are aware of an incident that occurred on a Wizz Air flight departing from London Luton Airport on Friday 25th April which resulted in passengers experiencing a short delay."
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"The safety and security of our passengers and crew is our top priority, and we appreciate everyone's understanding and patience as our team assisted authorities in ensuring a swift resolution to the situation," the airline added.
The anonymous passenger, 28, who spoke with the outlets said they worried about airport safety in situations such as these.
"You'd think airports would be more secure and this would be resolved much more swiftly," the passenger said. "You're not even safe at Luton airport, somewhere you think is a safe space."
Bedfordshire Police did not immediately reply to PEOPLE's request for further information about the incident.
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