EasyJet has denied a passenger was forced to travel on a backless seat after an image purporting to show as much went viral. 

The picture, which apparently featured a woman perching on the edge of a space, was tweeted by Matthew Harris, who quipped: “easyJet beats Ryanair to have backless seats.”

Copying in both the International Air Trade Association (IATA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), he added: “This is flight 2021 Luton to Geneva. How can this be allowed?”

EasyJet responded to the tweet, asking Harris to remove the image, to which he replied: “Absolutely not. This is a real photo of a plane currently descending to Geneva.”

The reply prompted a wave of anger towards the budget airline by Twitter users who accused it of trying to censor the issue and even compromising passenger safety. 

Matthew Harris, who posted the image on Twitter, later clarified his comments to say his partner had taken the picture. However he continued to question the presence of the seats:

However, easyJet told HuffPost UK the image in question featured a passenger sitting in the seat for the purposes of the photo – and that the flight was not airborne. 

A spokesman said: “No passengers were permitted to sit in these seats as they were inoperative awaiting repair. Safety is our highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all safety guidelines.”