A plane flying from Geneva to Manchester had to make an emergency landing at Stansted today due to a passenger being taken ill - and not a terrorist alert or technical problem.

The Airbus landed at Stansted Airport just under two hours after it set off from the Swiss airport.

An EasyJet spokeswoman said: “EasyJet can confirm that flight EZY1954 from Geneva to Manchester diverted to Stansted due to a passenger on board requiring urgent medical assistance. The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority.

“We apologise for any inconvenience experienced due to the diversion and resulting delay.”

The Stansted diversion comes the day after a Las Vegas-bound flight was forced to return to Gatwick and make an emergency landing due to a faulty landing gear.

Passenger on board the stricken Virgin Atlantic jumbo jet had to adopt the emergency brace position. They applauded when the plane landed safely and praised the pilots for both the smooth landing and their cool head in a crisis.