Passengers told to 'balance out plane'

Passengers aboard a flight across Europe have told of their horror at having to balance out a plane after it became 'nose-heavy'.

The Thomas Cook flight, travelling from Majorca to Newcastle in the UK, had one of its doors to the hold jammed, which meant luggage could only be loaded towards the front of the jet.

As a result, passengers were asked to abandon their allocated seats and proceed to the rear of the plane to be seated.

The Daily Mail reports the airline insisted the arrangement was a routine procedure and entirely safe.

Once the plane landed, passengers disembarking from the plane told passengers boarding the plane not to get on.

One passenger was terrified by the look on the faces of tourists getting off the plane.

"People were kissing the ground and putting their hands together like they were praying," one passenger told The Daily Mail.

"There were girls sobbing and children crying."

A spokesman for Thomas Cook said it's standard for all airlines to ensure cargo and passengers are evenly distributed.

"This is a routine industry procedure and poses no safety issue."