KEY POINTS:
MADRID - A pilot told nervous passengers travelling with a low-cost Spanish airline that nearly half the seats on their plane were out of use because of a safety problem but it was nothing to worry about.
As passengers took their seats on the Lisbon-to-Madrid flight operated by Vueling Airlines on Monday, they noticed that all but three of the 32 rows on one side of the plane were taped off, according to an El Mundo reporter among the travellers. The captain told them on the intercom: "We will not be able to use that part of the plane because we have a safety problem with the door at the front. Don't worry, it's only a safety problem."
Some passengers took photos of the taped-off seats but staff stopped them, saying it was against company rules. One passenger asked whether the plane could tip over in mid-air by flying with a heavier load on one side.
The safety problem was with the slide on one of the plane's eight emergency exit doors, a spokeswoman for Vueling said.
The firm followed aviation guidelines that allow the door to be used but require a reduction in passenger numbers because it cannot fulfil its emergency function.
- REUTERS
