Holidaymakers who were hoping to jet off to Corfu, and faced a 38 hour delay from Manchester Airport, will now fly out at 1am on Wednesday
Young children, pensioners and disabled people were amongst more than 100 passengers who spent almost two days waiting for a flight to the Greek island, The Manchester Evening News reports.
Customers expecting to board their flight at 11am on Monday morning were told the journey would be put back after checking in.
One family even managed to board the plane and reported hearing engineers ‘tinkering’ with the aircraft before they were hauled off again.
Travellers were asked to remain at the airport while the airline dealt with a technical fault to the plane.
But the flight, operated by Lithuanian airlines company Small Planet, was eventually cancelled at 7pm and travellers were told they would be flying early Tuesday morning.
They were taken to the Britannia Hotel, in Northenden, where they spent the night before coaches arrived to take them back to the airport at around 10am.
After a ftrgrwait of more than three hours they were eventually taken to accommodation at the MacDonald Hotel in Manchester city centre.
The flight to Corfu was expected to leave Manchester Airport at 12.55am on Wednesday.
Flight operator Small Planet said the delays were due to a fault to the hydraulic system of the aircraft which is crucial for the safety of the flight and control of the aircraft.
Customers have been advised by travel group Olympic Holidays that they will be fully refunded if they wish to cancel their holiday.
Some other flights to Manchester or from Manchester have been delayed as well due to aircraft rotations – this always happens when one aircraft is on the ground and impossible to operate. A flight from Corfu returning to Manchester Airport was also delayed by several hours and left at 7.05am on Wednesday morning.
