Passengers waiting to take off from a Scottish airport were left “panicked” after it was swarmed by emergency crews minutes before it was due to take to the air.
Holidaygoers were ready to jet off to Tenerife from Edinburgh Airport when their departure was suddenly halted and the plane surrounded by fire crews.
Three fire engines raced to the aircraft as it sat on the tarmac and "pointed their water cannons" at the plane, according to one traveller.
The passenger told how she was left "scared" after everyone was told to disembark from the flight after a "technical issue".
They later found out that the technical issue was a fuel leak and the plane was not allowed to take off during its 1.10pm slot on Saturday afternoon.
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Everyone was then taken to another flight which departed around 3pm.
Lisa Conway, 32, was going on holiday with her partner David Smith when the incident unfolded.
Ms Conway, from Hamilton, told the Daily Record: "People on the plane were panicking in case the plane went on fire with water cannons pointed at it.
"We were then then packed onto buses and we couldn’t get off as they had to move crew and ground staff and secure the fuel leak.
"First time I’ve experienced anything like that - it was scary."
Ryanair also told the Daily Record that staff carried out standard procedures and fire crews were called as a precaution.
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A spokesperson said: "This flight from Edinburgh to Tenerife (17 Feb) was delayed ahead of take-off due to a minor tech issue with the aircraft.
"The aircraft remained on stand, passengers were disembarked and the aircraft was taken for inspection by engineers, who cleared the aircraft to return to service later that night.
"To minimise disruption to passengers, a replacement aircraft was quickly arranged to operate this flight, departing Edinburgh approx. 1 hr 40 mins later.
"We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused as a result of this short delay.”
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