Jet2 has apologised to customers who were held on a plane for more than an hour after landing due to concerns that a fellow passenger had chickenpox.

Flight LS302 from Benidorm landed at Belfast International Airport just after 2pm yesterday, but passengers were told they couldn’t immediately disembark.

In a statement issued on Monday, Jet2 said: “We can confirm that Port Health officials boarded flight LS302 earlier today after reports of a customer showing possible chickenpox symptoms. 

“Customers have now departed the aircraft after a short delay, and we apologise for any inconvenience.”

Like other UK airlines, Jet2 has a strict policy regarding travel with highly-infectious diseases like chickenpox. On its website, it says: “For the safety of all our customers, at least seven days must have elapsed since the first spots appeared, with no others forming, before we are able to consider carrying anyone with chickenpox.

“We also need a Fit to Fly certificate from your doctor to confirm this.”