About 170 Dutch travellers have been stranded at Faro Airport, Portugal, since Monday after their Transavia flight HV5514 to Eindhoven (Boeing 737-800 registered PH-HSW) was forced to turn back mid-air.
Despite multiple rescheduled departures, including a planned Wednesday morning flight, every attempt has been cancelled.
Frustration is mounting as some passengers have spent nights sleeping at the airport, receiving only a €15 voucher for meals, although they were told they would be compensated with €150 per hotel night and €400 in EU261 compensation. Many face urgent commitments at home, from work to pet care.
Transavia says the technical issue is more complex than expected and stresses that safety comes first, but admits communication has been lacking and the disruption has had a major impact on travellers.
Eventually, the flight took off on Wednesday afternoon at 13:30 and arrived at Amsterdam (not Eindhoven!) at 17:00.