Around 170 Belgian tourists stranded in Naples and Palermo in southern Italy for two days finally departed for Belgium on Sunday afternoon, despite further delays, TUI representatives confirmed.
The ordeal began at Naples Airport in Southern Italy on Friday, when a plane carrying Belgian tourists bound for Palermo, Sicily, and then onward to Brussels, required technical inspection of one of its wings.
"Almost everything that could go wrong, did," said TUI spokesperson Piet Demeyere. The company lost precious hours attempting to communicate with their local handler.
The handler reportedly pledged additional water and meals for the beleaguered passengers. However, these promises were not fulfilled. Ultimately, it transpired that the flight crew were unable to fly, leading to an overnight stay for the travellers.
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Approximately 30 passengers in Naples were accommodated in a hotel, while others spent the night at the airport. All passengers waiting in Palermo were offered hotel rooms on Friday night.
The plane finally departed for Palermo on Saturday, but upon arrival another inspection was required. Passengers were disembarked and a decision was made to fly a different plane from Brussels to Italy for their collection, requiring a second overnight stay.
"Regrettably, we encountered enormous difficulty securing accommodation in Palermo," admitted Demeyere. This resulted in the increasingly frustrated and dissatisfied passengers spending a night in the airport.
€400 in compensation
On Sunday, the plane was scheduled for take-off at midday, but did not depart until approximately 14:45. This delay was not due to technical issues but to turbulent conditions in the region, requiring increased spacing between aircraft and resulting in approval for take-off being delayed.
TUI promises to compensate affected passengers by €400 per person and pledges to reimburse all additional expenses incurred. "We will thoroughly investigate what went wrong; we don't want this to happen again," assured the TUI spokesperson.
