TUI Airways was forced to apologize to passengers after telling them to disembark the aircraft due to excess weight after the flight was delayed for several hours due to a technical problem.
According to a report by DevonLive, passengers saw luggage being removed due to an issue with the aircraft’s weight, with one traveler saying that the aircraft was carrying too much fuel.
When the problem could not be resolved, the flight, which was scheduled to depart on June 3, 2023, eventually took off on June 4, 2023.
TUI Airways hired the Turkey-based charter airline Freebird Airlines to operate flight FH546 between Exeter Airport (EXT), (UK) to Antalya Airport (AYT), Turkey. The flight, operated by an Airbus A320 registered as TC-FHM, reached AYT at 3:42 PM local time (UTC +2), flightradar24.com records showed.
However, before it departed, ground handling crews removed suitcases “at random”. The Airbus A320 eventually taxied to take off but returned to the gate as it was not safe to depart EXT.
“We completely understand the frustration of customers who were due to be on flight FHY546 from Exeter yesterday and we would like to apologise for the delay in their journey,” a TUI spokesperson was cited as saying by DevonLive, adding that the aircraft experienced a technical issue before taking off to Turkey. According to the representative, once the captain completed pre-flight checks, a weight-related performance restriction issue was discovered. The problem resulted in engineers on the ground carrying out an inspection at EXT.
“Due to hotel availability in Exeter, customers were required to return home. Expenses can be claimed back for travel and sustenance expenses,” the spokesperson concluded.
