He opened the Jet2 plane door, realised there were no steps on that side, grabbed for the handle, and then strong winds did the rest from 35 feet up

A contractor in his 60s is in hospital with serious injuries after falling from a Jet2 aircraft at Manchester Airport on Saturday, April 11. The incident occurred at approximately 8:00 AM while the plane, scheduled to depart for Tenerife, was stationed on the airfield, and is widely considered fortunate to have been survived, as first reported by LADbible.

The man had been informed that boarding steps were positioned on the right side of the aircraft. He misread the situation, believed the steps were on the left, and opened that door instead. Upon realising there were no steps on that side, he reached out to grab the door handle in an attempt to steady himself, but the door’s weight combined with strong winds pulled him out of the aircraft face first.

The drop to the ground was roughly 35 feet. An airport worker noted that the man extended his knees and arms to absorb the impact, which accounts for the specific nature of his injuries. He sustained broken legs, broken elbows, a dislocated shoulder, and broken eye sockets.

Opening the wrong door at 35 feet up is exactly the kind of scenario workplace safety law is designed to prevent

Emergency services responded rapidly, with at least six ambulances arriving at the scene. Medical screens were placed around the injured man as responders worked to stabilise him, and the North West Ambulance Service confirmed they were called at 8:22 AM to reports of a person who had fallen from height. The patient was then transported to hospital for treatment of his serious injuries.

Jet2 confirmed the incident involved an individual from a third-party provider and stated that a full investigation is now underway to determine the precise circumstances. Manchester Airport similarly confirmed the incident involved a Jet2 plane on the airfield and that ambulances attended before the man was taken to hospital. The incident comes amid a stretch of notable travel disruption across the UK, including 122 passengers stranded at Milan Linate after an EasyJet flight departed without them due to the chaotic rollout of the EU’s new entry-exit system.

The incident falls under the scope of the Work at Height Regulations 2005, which exist to prevent death and injury from falls in the workplace. Under the law, employers and those in control of work at height are required to ensure all tasks are properly planned, supervised, and carried out by competent individuals, including the selection of appropriate equipment before work begins.

Workers themselves are also legally required to take reasonable care of themselves and others, and to cooperate with their employer to meet all health and safety obligations. The investigation will likely examine how those protocols were applied on the morning of the incident, amid a broader period of heightened scrutiny over UK travel and safety as the Iran conflict continues to affect flight demand across European hubs.

The contractor remains in hospital in Manchester. Jet2 said it is doing its best to provide support to everyone involved who needs it.