Technical problem with Smartlynx Airbus A320 flying for TUI Belgium compels 171 vacationers to spend extra night in Sharm el-Sheikh

171 Belgians were stuck at Sharm El-Sheikh airport because the crew had to rest after technical problem

The outbound flight went without problems. The Smartlynx Estonia Airbus A320 registered ES-SAT operating flight TUI fly Belgium TB3101 from Brussels to Sharm el-Sheikh on 1 August 2019 landed on time at 11:40 at the Egyptian Red Sea resort.

But once at Sharm el-Sheikh, a technical problem arose. According to some travellers, a plume of smoke was visible at the rear of the aircraft. TUI spokesperson Piet Demeyere confirmed to Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws that there was a technical problem. “But that has now been resolved,” he said yesterday. “However, due to the technical problem, the crew has reached its maximum duty time and it is therefore mandatory to rest a few hours. That means that the aircraft cannot leave for the time being.”

The scheduled departure time of the return flight TB3102 was 12:35. According to TUI, the aircraft could possibly take off on Thursday evening. However, after the problem was solved and the crew had rested a few hours, the aircraft did not get the authorisation to take-off Thursday evening because of a slot issue.

Thus, the 171 Belgian passengers stuck at Sharm el-Sheikh since the afternoon of 1 August were sent to hotels where they got meals and accommodation, TUI spokesperson Sarah Saucin confirmed to Aviation24.be.

Eventually, the A320 took off Friday 2 August at 09:00 and is expected to land at Brussels Airport at 13:50 (all times local).