An easyJet flight from London Luton Airport departed from the wrong point on the runway last June, with the aircraft only clearing the end of the runway at just 65 feet above the ground — a serious incident that has now been detailed in a report from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.
Flight EZY2335 was an Airbus A320-214 carrying 180 passengers and six crew, bound for Málaga Costa del Sol Airport on 13 June 2025. During pre-flight planning, the co-pilot had initially intended to depart from a runway intersection known as Intersection Alpha. However, having calculated that the aircraft’s weight and weather conditions at the time didn’t allow for sufficient performance from that point, the crew agreed to use the full length of the runway instead.
The problem came when the aircraft was guided onto a different intersection further along the runway — effectively a shorter takeoff run than the calculations had allowed for. Neither pilot identified the error before takeoff. The aircraft became airborne and completed its flight to Málaga without incident, but the captain only realised the mistake after landing there and returning to Luton later the same day. The discrepancy was subsequently flagged by the airline’s Flight Data Monitoring system.
The AAIB classified it as a serious occurrence. Its report pointed to habitual behaviour as a likely contributing factor — with crews accustomed to using that intersection, the change in plan wasn’t sufficiently reinforced before departure. Three preceding aircraft had departed from Intersection Alpha, and a missed opportunity to flag the full-length requirement to Air Traffic Control compounded the issue.
easyJet said it had fully assisted the AAIB investigation and that a review of its take-off operating procedures had been carried out, with updates to pilot guidance planned from March 2026 onwards.
For drivers and staff working Luton Airport, it’s a reminder that incidents don’t always look dramatic from the outside — and that the AAIB’s work in investigating and publishing these reports plays a vital role in improving aviation safety.
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