Woman in tears after flight home cancelled

A woman said she was in tears after her flight was cancelled due to air traffic control problems, leaving herself and her mum stuck in Turkey.

Melissa Green, 27, from Newcastle, was supposed to fly home yesterday with her mum Lisa Burford following a holiday in Marmaris, but the journey did not go ahead after an issue with UK air traffic control systems.

Air traffic control provider Nats has apologised after nearly 2,000 flights were cancelled on Tuesday with almost 300 more cancelled so far on Wednesday.

Green, who has since managed to book a return flight for Saturday, said she had a "complete and utter mental breakdown" as her flight got cancelled following several delays.

She said passengers were told about the cancellation while on a bus at the airport.

"There were people crying on the phone because they didn't know what to do," she said.

"Had I been on my own, I would've been completely terrified.

"I was sitting in the hall of baggage reclaim crying, shaking. I could barely breathe, because I was just given no help whatsoever. It was horrible."

Green said she had since managed to arrange alternative accommodation in Marmaris and "can breathe a bit easier" knowing she has a flight home on Saturday.

"We usually come for two weeks anyway, but we only booked for 10 days this year and it just so happened that now we've ended up staying for two weeks anyway, so there's some silver linings I guess," she added.

Travel company Love Holidays said it was sorry Green's flight home had been affected by the technical issues on Tuesday.

A spokesperson said airlines had primary responsibility for providing passenger assistance and support in cases of flight disruption.

"We're aware Melissa's airline has provided an alternative flight but has not arranged accommodation," they added.

"We're in touch with her directly to offer our support, including extending her hotel booking and arranging transportation from Liverpool to Newcastle."

In a statement posted on their social media, EasyJet, the airline Green was flying with, said it was sorry for the disruption experienced by customers.

The airline added it was "working hard" to minimise the impact and support affected customers, including "helping with alternative travel arrangements and providing meals and hotel accommodation where required".

A spokesperson for Newcastle Airport said on Wednesday they were operating as normal.

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