An easyJet passenger has described a frightening and exhausting journey after a Manchester-bound flight from Greece was forced to land in Milan, leaving travellers stuck overnight and unsure when they would get home.
The disruption involved easyJet flight EZY2058, which was travelling from Heraklion to Manchester on 12 May. The aircraft diverted to Milan Malpensa Airport after the First Officer required medical assistance during the flight. easyJet said the Captain completed a routine landing under standard safety procedures, with medical teams meeting the aircraft after arrival.
For passengers on board, the diversion was only the beginning of a much longer ordeal. Maddison Watson, a 24-year-old digital marketing worker, said travellers were told during the flight that the aircraft needed to make an emergency landing. While passengers understood the seriousness of a crew medical issue, Watson said the handling of the situation after landing caused confusion, stress and anger.
According to Watson, passengers were initially reassured that hotel rooms had already been arranged. But once the aircraft landed in Milan, the plan appeared to change. Travellers collected their luggage and were later told their journey to Manchester would not continue until the next morning.
Watson said many passengers were left inside the airport for more than 13 hours with limited information about accommodation, food, water or reimbursement. She claimed the group was not given clear guidance about where to go, who to speak to, or whether they should make their own arrangements.
The lack of clarity, she said, made the experience worse than the diversion itself. Passengers had expected to return to the UK that evening but instead found themselves stranded in another country after an already stressful landing.
Watson said she eventually slept on the floor at Milan Malpensa Airport and managed only around 90 minutes of rest. She also claimed passengers were later moved on by Italian police, with luggage shifted and people stopped from resting because the scene was not considered presentable.
The overnight delay also created personal and financial problems. Watson said she missed appointments after returning late to Britain and had to pay cancellation fees. She also said she ran out of medication because she had not prepared for an extra day abroad.
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easyJet said it provided accommodation and meals where available. The airline also said passengers who made their own arrangements would be reimbursed for reasonable expenses and that affected customers had been contacted directly to apologise and offer support.
Airlines are required to prioritise safety during medical emergencies, and a diversion involving a crew member can leave carriers with limited options. However, once passengers are on the ground, clear communication becomes essential. Written updates, visible staff support, food, water and simple reimbursement guidance can prevent a safety-related disruption from turning into a passenger welfare crisis.
Travellers affected by major disruption can review official guidance from the UK Civil Aviation Authority on airline passenger rights here: CAA flight delays and cancellations guidance.
The case also highlights the growing pressure on airlines during peak European travel periods, when airport capacity, late-night accommodation and replacement crew availability can all affect how quickly passengers are moved after a diversion.
Swikblog has previously reported on similar airline disruption involving easyJet passengers in Milan, where delays and airport handling issues left travellers facing unexpected problems. Read more here: easyJet Milan chaos left 100+ passengers stranded.
While easyJet has apologised and said reimbursement support is available, Watson’s account shows why passengers often remember how an airline communicates just as much as the disruption itself. In this case, the emergency landing may have been unavoidable, but the long wait, lack of clarity and overnight airport stay turned the journey home into a 13-hour nightmare.
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