A couple have described a "traumatising" TUI flight where passengers heard two loud bangs come from an engine before people were thrown from their seats in turbulence.
Care workers, Tina and Leslie Driver were onboard a delayed flight from Manchester Airport to Cape Verde on Monday, June 27, when they reported hearing two 'enormous' bangs coming from one of the engines after being in the air for ten minutes. Soon after, the pilot of the TUI BY216 flight told passengers there was a technical issue with the plane, he had sent an emergency 7700 code and that he would need to make an emergency landing.
Leslie, who's from Woodchurch, Wirral, and booked the holiday three years ago, said these weren’t the first issues they had, with the aircraft being "very hot" when they first boarded.
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He said: "We went through check in and security completely fine, which was great considering all the queues in recent weeks. The plane was an hour delayed but everything was going smoothly.
"We got onto the plane and it was very warm, we were told by staff the plane had been to Turkey the night before and there was a problem with the air conditioning. They said once we had taken off it would be fine.
"After about 10 minutes of flying we heard two enormous bangs and when I looked out the window I saw something orange fly past. My wife thought it was a bird.
"Kids were screaming and people were panicking, it was really scary. When I saw how the two airhostesses looked at each other, I knew something wasn't right."
The plane started to circle around the airport and then proceeded to fly over the Peak District National Park, Wrexham and Merseyside for two hours and 30 minutes. During this time, Leslie said there was "quite a lot of turbulence".
He told The ECHO: "The turbulence was really bad, there was one really bad bit where everybody was thrown from their seats. The pilot and staff were fantastic, they told us what was happening and were going up and down the plane asking if people wanted water.
"Before we landed the pilot spoke again to say he had burnt the fuel and we would be able to do an emergency landing. He said because of this all the emergency services would be on the tarmac at Manchester Airport waiting for us.
"He said all the warning lights had come up on the plane."
Leslie said everyone onboard was okay and did not require any medical treatment. Once passengers were off the plane, TUI apologised for the disruption.
In an email sent to passengers, the airline said: "We're really sorry for the disruption to your flight today, we appreciate this will be disappointing. Your aircraft was serviceable and took off as expected, however shortly into your flight the captain encountered a technical issue with the aircraft.
"The safety of our customers and crew is paramount and he had to make the difficult decision to turn back to Manchester Airport. Due to landing restrictions, the captain had to circle the aircraft for some time to be able to burn fuel and land safely back into Manchester."
TUI has now arranged a alternative aircraft for those still wanting to go on holiday. The passengers have been put into hotel accommodation and given a £15 voucher to use on refreshments in the airport.
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