Ryanair passengers were left stranded in Spain after air-traffic controllers went home instead of waiting an extra 15 minutes for the diverted aircraft to take off.
Flight RK3209 from Malaga to Manchester was forced to divert an hour into the flight due to a medical emergency.
The aircraft landed in the city of Bilbao, where the unwell passenger was taken off of the plane.
Diversions due to medical emergencies are common, and the normal policy is to continue the journey once the passenger has been escorted off the aircraft.
Ryanair passengers were left stranded in Spain after air-traffic controllers went home
PAHowever, passengers and crew on flight RK3209 were left stranded in the Basque city after air-traffic control staff “refused to wait 15 minutes to see us off”.
Passenger Sara Diggle told The Independent: “They went home so we were unloaded, left high and dry to make our own arrangements for hotels.”
She said they had to walk to the nearest airport hotel, as the only taxis arranged were the ones for the crew.
Due to strict rules in place to ensure that crew have adequate rest, the aircraft did not take off until 1pm the next day.
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The aircraft landed in the city of Bilbao, where the unwell passenger was taken off of the plane
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The plane landed in its original destination of Manchester approximately 14 hours behind schedule.
An airport spokesperson defended the staff’s decision to leave, stating the flight plan “exceeded operational hours”.
They told the publicationt: “I can confirm that the flight to Manchester departed on Sunday, at 13.01 local time.
“It didn’t depart the night before because the flight plan exceeded the operational hours of Bilbao airport.”
The plane landed in its original destination of Manchester approximately 14 hours behind schedule
GETTYA spokesperson for Ryanair said: “This flight from Malaga to Manchester diverted to Bilbao after a passenger became ill onboard.
"The aircraft was met by medics upon arrival and this passenger was offloaded and transported to a nearby hospital.
“Passengers were notified of the diversion and advised of their options.
"Despite Ryanair’s efforts to arrange accommodation for passengers, availability was limited, and passengers were advised that they could arrange individual accommodation that they could claim back receipted expenses on Ryanair.com.
“This flight departed for Manchester the following day.”
