‘Police called in’ as tempers fray over axed TUI flight to Turkey from Doncaster Sheffield Airport

Angry passengers were forced to return home or were put up in hotels overnight after their flight to Turkey was cancelled when the plane developed a fault ahead of take-off.

Airline TUI has apologised to passengers over the incident on Wednesday and told them they can claim compensation, with the plane eventually taking off the following day.

It is the latest in a long line of problems for the under fire airport which was last week threatened with closure by owners Peel after financial problems brought on by the Covid pandemic and departure of budget airline Wizz Air.

John Dobbing, whose daughter, son in law and four young children who were scheduled to be on flight TOM344 to Antalya, said: “I am so angry.

“They were told, over a loud speaker, that there was a problem with the aircraft.

“The final straw came very late on when passengers were told they were sending mini buses to take them to a hotel.

“Apparently, only three buses arrived for 180 plus disheartened people with children.

“My daughter and her family decided the only thing they could do was head back home to Teesside.

“They were told to come back to the airport the following morning.

“No representatives were around and no one could tell them anything.

“People were devastated that they missed precious time on holiday through no fault of their own. The police were also at the airport as passengers tempers were becoming frayed.”

A TUI spokesman said: “We’d like to apologise to customers on flight TOM344 scheduled from Doncaster Sheffield to Antalya on Wednesday 20 July which was unfortunately delayed overnight due to a technical issue.

“We do everything we can to get customers away as planned and we know how frustrating delays are, particularly on the rare occasion they are lengthy. We kept in touch with customers via text messages throughout and provided meals, refreshments and overnight accommodation.

“Customers can claim compensation. Everyone is now safely in resort and we’d like to thank them for their patience and apologise again for the inconvenience they experienced.”

The flight eventually departed shortly before 9pm on Thursday.