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Easyjet passengers kept on Belfast plane for two hours in security operation

PAcemaker Departures hall at Belfast International AirportPAcemaker
Passengers were not allowed to disembark for almost two hours after the flight arrived in Belfast

Passengers were kept on board a plane for two hours as a security operation took place when the aircraft landed in Belfast on Sunday evening.

Easyjet flight EZY839 from Gatwick arrived at Belfast International Airport at about 21:30 BST.

Passengers said police officers boarded, while others remained outside.

They said they were not told why they were not allowed to disembark. Easyjet said the flight was "subject to additional security checks on arrival".

"The safety and security of its passengers and crew is always EasyJet's highest priority," said a spokeswoman for the airline.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said officers attended Belfast International Airport "after security concerns were raised in relation to the flight".

It said the "aircraft was detained until a number of enquiries were carried out to ensure the safety of all passengers and staff" and that "no further police action was required".

Shortly before 23:30, passengers were asked to disembark row by row but they told BBC News NI that they were instructed not to use their mobile phones.

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Stephen Houston, who was on the flight, said police had boarded the plane after it landed and they had been "back and forth".

He said there was "no information on what's happening from the crew - they seem to be in the dark as well".

Another passenger said that she got up to get her bags but the "doors opened and police came on."

"We have been told nothing," she said.

"The air hostesses know nothing. The captain's door has been locked since we landed."

Belfast International Airport confirmed that the plane "was subject to additional security checks on arrival".

"The safety of our passengers and staff is our highest priority," it added.