Bayer Leverkusen manager Kasper Hjulmand attends a press conference at the Etihad Stadium, ahead of Tuesday's UEFA Champions League against Manchester City. Mike Egerton/PA Wire/dpaDPATue, November 25, 2025 at 5:38 AM UTC·2 min readSeveral mishaps plagued Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen on their journey on Monday to the Champions League away match at Manchester City.
The plane with the team on board was already at the end of the runway waiting for take-off when it had to return to the departure gate.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAccording to an announcement on the plane, the reason for this was uncertainty as to whether all the luggage was on board, as there were discrepancies with the weight of the aircraft.
When the problem was resolved and the aircraft was ready for take-off, there was then no aircraft tractor available to push the aircraft back from its parking position.
Instead of taking off at around 4 pm (1500 GMT) on Monday as planned, the Bayer Leverkusen plane finally took off for England more than an hour and a half late.
Problems also after landing
However, there were also difficulties after landing in Manchester. Almost an hour passed before the first passengers could leave the plane.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSince the aircraft was parked at a remote position, the passengers had initially to wait for buses. In the end, they walked to the terminal, which was only a few metres away.
On board was also the U19 squad, who are due to play against City's youth team in the UEFA Youth League on Tuesday afternoon.
As a result, the schedule for the press conference with coach Kasper Hjulmand and player Aleix García, planned for 6 pm (1800 GMT) in Manchester, could no longer be kept.
On Tuesday evening, Leverkusen is scheduled to play their fifth match of the league phase at the City of Manchester Stadium against star coach Pep Guardiola's team, which is still undefeated in the Champions League.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"It was unusual, but these things happen," Hjulmand said at the press conference, which started two hours late. He emphasized that it would not affect the game, adding, "We will be ready to play at kick-off."
García explained: "It was strange. I didn't really know what was going on. The worst part was the hour of waiting. It was a long journey today."
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