Over 300 Belgian tourists were stuck in Mexico due to a technical defect to a plane from travel agency Tui, but returned to Belgium on Thursday.
After a three hour delay at the airport in Cancun on Monday, the tourists were told that the plane could not depart due to technical issues. The official number of stuck tourists is being reported inconsistently between 305 and 350. "In the evening, we were brought to several hotels, where we spent three nights," said Lieven Lammens, one of the stranded tourists, reports Het Laatste Nieuws.
A flight back was scheduled on Thursday at 6:00 AM local time (noon in Belgium), until it was announced that the aircraft was being checked and that it might not be possible for it to return to Belgium.
At 9:45 AM local time (15:45 PM in Belgium), the aircraft passed the checks and the Belgians could return home.
"The problems started on Monday due to a technical defect to the plane," said Piet Demeyere, a spokesperson for Tui, reports Het Nieuwsblad. "A spare part had to be flown in, but that takes a lot of time, of course. The departure was planned for today, but due to a problem with the generator in the aircraft, the aircraft could not leave on time. After a thorough check, everything turned out to be in order and the flight could depart," he added.
The travellers will receive a compensation of €600 per person in addition to the three nights' accommodation and catering at the hotels.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
