TUI passengers were left stranded in a different country due to staff issues

Passengers of a TUI flight from Cape Verde to Manchester were forced to land in a different country and passengers were stuck.

The passengers were left stranded overnight after the flight made an unscheduled stop in Tenerife in the Canary Islands.

English media report that just after the TUI flight took off on December 16, passengers were told the plane needed to make a stop because the crew had reached the maximum number of hours they were allowed to work, the Liverpool Echo reported.

Liverpool Echo posted that all airline staff have mandated working hours to prevent them from working when fatigued.

“The maximum flying time for commercial pilots is 100 hours in 28 consecutive days, per the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) website,” it reported.

“The TUI crew was due to be replaced during the stop in Tenerife. Instead, passengers said they arrived at a largely deserted airport. The flight was then delayed overnight and passengers were taken to hotels on the island, one passenger said.”

Meanwhile, Business Insider said a TUI representative responded that the airline had arranged hotels, transport, and food for all the passengers.

A spokesperson for TUI told Insider apologised for the delay and said in a statement: “We understand the frustration of customers on flight TOM439, who were delayed overnight in Tenerife.”

“We do our best to ensure customers get to and from their destinations on time, and we’d like to apologise for this inconvenience. Situations like this are rare, and we thank customers for their patience and understanding.”

However, one passenger told a local news outlet: “The communication and co-ordination from TUI was embarrassing. We were not told where we were going. It was very disorganised and chaotic. There were about 150 of us and some people were visibly distressed and trying to organise plans back home.”