Passenger mutiny after 10-hour Vueling flight delay in Ibiza

A Vueling flight from Ibiza to Alicante turned into a nightmare for nearly 200 passengers after a delay of more than ten hours left many stranded overnight in the airport terminal. The scheduled flight VLG1353 was supposed to depart at 21:55 on Wednesday evening, but a technical fault forced passengers to disembark just before midnight. The airline later announced that the flight would be rescheduled for early Thursday morning, but poor communication and repeated setbacks sparked growing frustration among travellers.

Some passengers were able to return home for the night, but many — including families with babies and people requiring special assistance — had no choice but to sleep in Ibiza Airport’s terminal. According to passenger testimonies, Vueling refused to provide hotel accommodation, arguing that the delay was too short to justify it, and instead handed out vouchers for a fast-food meal. Requests for water were reportedly met with instructions to use the airport fountains. By dawn, tensions escalated as the promised early-morning departure was again delayed due to the absence of a crew, who were not available until after 08:00. The Airbus A320, carrying registration EC-OKH, eventually departed at 09:00 and landed in Alicante just after 10:00, nearly 12 hours late.

Frustration boiled over at the terminal, where angry passengers briefly blocked the boarding gate of another Vueling flight to Barcelona, chanting: “No one leaves the island until we do.” The incident drew the intervention of Civil Guard officers and airport security.

Passengers also complained of being denied access to official complaint forms and of receiving contradictory information throughout the ordeal, much of it relayed not by Vueling staff but by ground handlers. The episode has fuelled criticism of the airline’s handling of the disruption, with travellers describing the experience as “shameful” and “a lack of respect.”

Source: Diario de Mallorca