Some 300 Belgians were due to board a plane to return to Brussels late on Thursday. After several trips to and from the airport, the passengers are still stuck in Punta Cana, a tourist resort town in the Dominican Republic, reports RTL.
"Our flight was first delayed and then cancelled," one passenger told RTL. They were due to board a plane back to Brussels at 16:00 on Thursday. But after several trips to the airport and several false hopes, the passengers are still stuck in Punta Cana.
"The end of the holidays is turning into a nightmare," the passenger, named by RTL as Julie, said. "My parents are stuck and my dad hasn't had his medicine for three days," adds another passenger, while calling the situation a "disgrace".
RTL contacted a TUI spokesperson, who confirmed that 300 Belgians were stranded in Punta Cana due to a "plane breaking down" and added that they are "trying to find a solution as quickly as possible."
The reason for the delay has been that the company has to find another aircraft to make the trip: "Initially, we sent parts to repair the plane, but unfortunately that didn't work. We are now trying to find a plane to bring these people back as quickly as possible."
Until this is possible, all the Belgians are being rehoused by the airline. "They will receive €600 in compensation on their return to Belgium", the spokesperson said.
