The trip from Greece was canceled by Lithuanians – passengers may have to repeat the flight that turned into an “emergency”

The passengers, who have been in the unknown for some time, learned on Monday that their nightmare may be repeated – the flight to Vilnius will be operated on the same plane, which has not taken off twice.

“When you’re in heaven and drifting, the feeling is very unpleasant – you don’t know if you will reach that earth or not. And now to experience it again, to plant it in the same plane…, ”nevilites did not hide in lrytas.lt Vilnius resident who called the editorial office.

At the time, the tour operator Novaturas, together with its partner air carrier Avion Express, did not elaborate on the nature of the technical failures, but assured that the fault had been rectified promptly and that the plane had not taken off on Sunday evening just because the crew had expired.

Distinguished versions

Flight X98322 from Heraklion, Greece to Vilnius on Sunday was diverted to Sofia, Bulgaria due to technical problems. The flight was commissioned by Avia Solutions Group Avion Express, an aircraft rental, maintenance and insurance company (ACMI), on a Boeing 737-800 from AlbaStar Airlines, a Spanish airline.

“We noticed that the plane turned around in Serbia, went down, turned off the engine, and then the stewardesses started running, showing emergency exits, wearing seat belts, and no longer allowed them to go to the toilet.

Another 20 minutes later announced that we would land at Sofia Airport in an emergency. We landed successfully – he explained that there was a technical failure. We were put in some kind of housing, and two hours later we got water and buns.

He then decided where to put us. The plane was full – about 150 people. Finally, we were told that we would be flying – of course, the echoes were such that it would be too expensive to book a hotel for us, so we would fly the same plane, ”Vilnius recalled.

Soon, all the passengers were actually boarded on the same aircraft – they were told that the plane would be refueled in 10 minutes, but if they could not bring it in, the plane would not be able to fly.

“Half an hour has passed, fuel has been delivered. People gathered, the crew started asking questions, but there was nothing to hide – when they started refueling, it ran away because the tank was hollow. However, passengers were informed that the crew was tired and could not fly. Although it is obvious that we did not have fuel in the air even then, because it ran out, ”the Vilnius woman is convinced.

However, according to her, no one cared for even the passengers in a difficult situation – they did not provide any information, the passengers had to fight for the accommodation themselves.

“They (Novaturas – Auto Mail) sent a message that we will be at Vilnius Airport for the fourth night, due to the delay. No one reported anything more. When we were disembarked for the second time, another hour passed, scandals arose, because the passengers were with small children, with a disabled child, with old people.

At the airport, when we were handed over our suitcases, he explained that we could not leave the airport – no one provided any information, but we did not need a hotel for less than two o’clock at night, ”the woman said.

However, even on Monday, according to the woman, the nightmare may be repeated – passengers will be flown to Vilnius on the same plane at 3 pm.

“It simply came to our notice then. “Ale corrected, ”says the crew. Imagine fuel running through a tank. I don’t understand why not send another plane? Behaves completely desperately. (…)

When you’re in heaven and drifting, the feeling is very unpleasant – I don’t know if you’ll reach that earth or not. And now to experience it again, to plant it in the same plane, ”the woman did not hide her outrage.

The Vilnius resident, who paid about 700 euros for the trip, wonders why tour operators cannot allocate another plane.

“I asked the stewardesses how you’re not afraid,” say yes. He explained that a lot of flights, “Novaturas” hired such all kinds of airlines, fly people with anyone, those planes are technically untidy. Is it for cheap or for what? But people pay dearly for those trips, ”she said.

The causes of the failure are not detailed

Dovilė Zapkutė, a representative of the tour operator Novaturas, for the portal lrytas.lt The company said that the company was aware of the situation, but said that Novaturo’s partner, the air carrier Avion Express, with which Novaturo’s customers traveled, could better explain the reasons for the plane’s breakdown.

However, Monika Ostrauskienė, Avion Express’s communications and sales manager, did not indicate the reason for the plane’s breakdown either, as the aircraft, according to her, is also missing.

“The plane is not ours, so we cannot comment on its technical condition – another company, AlbaStar Airlines, flew our order,” lrytas.lt said M.Ostrauskienė.

According to her, assigning another plane to passengers who are worried about their safety and trapped in Sofia is not so easy at the moment.

“It’s not that simple – the summer season, it’s an intense period, and all the planes fly somewhere else. They just aren’t there, “said an Avion Express spokeswoman.

M.Ostrauskienė assured that the plane had been repaired on Sunday evening.

“The plane could take off, it was fixed quite quickly, but the crew’s working time was over – they could not carry out further flights. As you know, it is heavily regulated, ”she said.

At that time, when asked why the passengers were boarded on Sunday evening, if the crew could not carry out the flight, M. Ostrauskienė could not answer.

“I can’t say that,” she said.

In turn, the representative of Novaturas D.Zapkutė assured that the unplanned expenses incurred by the passengers will be reimbursed.

“According to our partner Avion Express, the technical fault was rectified promptly, but due to the expiration of the aircraft crew shift, the aircraft could not take off as soon as the fault was rectified.

The plane will depart from Sofia Airport today at 15:15 and will land at Vilnius Airport in a couple of hours. We also informed the passengers in order to save the checks for the unforeseen expenses incurred due to the flight delay, which will be reimbursed by the air carrier, ”a representative of Novaturo explained in a comment sent to lrytas.lt.

“We understand that we want to return home as quickly and smoothly as possible after the holidays. Therefore, we very much apologize to our travelers for the inconveniences and unpleasant worries they have experienced, ”she regretted.