Push-back truck problems in Tenerife; long delay for TUI Fly Belgium passengers

Flight TB1811, expected to depart Gran Canaria (Las Palmas) airport, Spain destination Ostend-Bruges Airport, Belgium on Sunday didn’t go as planned: that day, the crew operated a triangle flight from Ostend-Bruges towards Tenerife, Spain then onward to Gran Canaria then back to Belgium.

Due to the delay, the duty time of the crew exceeded limitations.

“The Boeing 737 MAX 8 (registered OO-TMB) was ready for departure at Tenerife, but a problem with the push-back truck came up,” TUI spokesperson Piet Demeyere said, adding that “as a quick solution could not be found, the decision was made to inform passengers and arrange for accommodation.”

Indeed, the 189 passengers were informed by text that the flight was postponed until the next day (10:30 local time).

Passengers complained about the lack of communication.

“We work with a control center to deal with these kinds of problems,” says Demeyere. “As soon as there is news, those employees ensure that everyone is informed. In this case, it was judged that the SMS was sufficient. The crew doesn’t know what’s going on at the moment, of course.”

“For people waiting on a plane, every minute is one too many. However, it can easily take 45 minutes before a situation can be correctly estimated. If we cannot provide correct information because the situation is not yet sufficiently clear at that time, it is better not to create confusion.” Finally, Demeyere assured that the extra hotel costs will not be borne by the travellers.