EasyJet flight carrying 174 passengers forced to make emergency landing after engine cover is torn off during take-off Terrified holidaymakers onboard the flight were put through evacuation drill Airbus A320 returned to the airport it had just taken off from to land safely Fire engines were on standby as the drama unfolded Took off Milan's Malpensa airport bound for the Portuguese capital of Lisbon This is the sight that greeted shocked passengers when an easyJet flight was forced to make an emergency landing after an engine cover fell away as it took off. Terrified holidaymakers onboard the flight were put through the evacuation drill before the Airbus A320 returned to the airport it had just taken off from to land safely. Fire engines were on standby but the passengers and crew were all taken off the packed jet safely using the staircase without emergency chutes having to be deployed. Terrified: Holidaymakers onboard the flight were put through the evacuation drill before the Airbus A320 returned to the airport it had just taken off from to land safely Standby: Fire engines were on standby but the passengers and crew were all taken off the packed jet safely using the staircase without emergency chutes having to be deployed. The drama happened on Monday evening just seconds after the British registered jet had taken off from Milan's Malpensa airport bound for the Portuguese capital of Lisbon with 174 passengers and six crew onboard. It had reached a take off speed of more than 200mph when it lifted off the runway and the engine cover fell away seconds later - creating a potential disaster for other jets - in 2000 a Concorde crashed in Paris after one of its tyres was punctured by debris lost from a previous plane. Holidaymaker Filippo Guazzini, from Pisa, who was on the easyJet flight with his girlfriend, posted on his Facebook site, how the engine cover came away in front of his eyes. He wrote:'We had just taken off and I looked out the window and saw this piece of metal fly off. 'It fell away right in front of my eyes and I started screaming 'A piece of the wing has gone flying' the cabin crew came and had a look and then one went to tell the captain. He came over the PA system a few minutes later and said there had been a problem and we were turning back. 'We were circling for twenty minutes before we landed again and the crew were trying to keep everybody calm but it was an experience I don't want to go through again.' Unfolded: The drama happened on Monday evening just seconds after the British registered jet had taken off from Milan's Malpensa airport bound for the Portuguese capital of Lisbon with 174 passengers and six crew onboard Passengers held their breathe as the plane touched down safely with the airport closed while maintenance teams cleared the debris from the runway which had also been spotted falling away by the control tower. Reports said that as the plane landed safely and then put its engines into reverse to brake another piece fell away from the already exposed engine on the left hand wing. During the incident the airport was closed for twenty minutes and two incoming flights were diverted. Passengers were given food and drink vouchers while a new plane was flown in and all the holidaymakers are believed to have got back on a replacement jet that arrived and took off for Lisbon three hours later. Later easyJet confirmed that a handful of passengers had refused to board the replacement plane and a further piece of metal had come from the damaged engine on landing. In a statement the company, based at Luton, said: 'easyJet can confirm that flight EZY2715 from Milan Malpensa Airport to Lisbon on 12 August returned from airborne shortly after take off due to a technical issue with one of the engines. The aircraft landed routinely and safely using both engines. All passengers disembarked and easyJet provided an alternative aircraft so they were able to continue their journey to Lisbon later that evening. 'The safety of its passengers and crew is easyJet's highest priority. We would like to apologise to passengers for any inconvenience experienced due to the delay. easyJet is investigating the technical issue and will work alongside the relevant safety authorities according to our procedures. The aircraft was a four year old Airbus A320 with 174 passengers and six crew onboard.