Further disruption at Belfast International as holiday flight delayed by 10 hours

There has been further disruption to flights out of Belfast with holidaymakers saying they have been hit with delays to their travel.

One holidaymaker at Belfast International claims there has been "no communication from TUI" after their flight to Palma de Mallorca was delayed by 10 hours.

Michael McGoldrick's flight to the Balearic Islands is one of a number to have been disrupted in recent days.

Michael told UTV that he arrived at the airport at 3am, with it taking nearly two hours to check in.

He said their departure time keeps being pushed back and currently says they will not taking off until 4pm, even though the flight was supposed to leave at 6am on Tuesday.

"We arrived at 3am to check in and were informed the flight was delayed and wouldn't depart until 9am," he said.

"It took us nearly two hours to check in as they were also trying to check the passengers for the Dalaman delayed flight.

"Staff at Belfast International are currently handing out £15 vouchers to be used within the terminal for refreshments," Michael told UTV.

"Most people have been here since 3am, people seem more exhausted than anything."

A number of TUI flights have been disrupted from Belfast International since the weekend with holidaymakers jetting off to the likes of Kos, Malaga and Dalaman also facing severe disruption.

TUI has been contacted for comment. On Monday it apologised for delays blaming operational issues. It said it would be in touch with customers to update them on changes and advised people of how to submit compensation claims.

In response TUI apologised to its customers. It again blamed operational issues. It is understood delays have forced a re-working of staffing.

On the Palma flight it said people were offered food and drink vouchers and the airline "has been in regular contact with them, advising them of their new departure time as soon as we could". "We understand that delays are frustrating, we appreciate our customers’ patience and we are sorry for any inconvenience caused," a spokesman added.

It also said all impacted customers on the Dalman flight were offered overnight accommodation while it worked through a new flight plan.

"Customers then departed for Dalaman at 9am today BST and the flight had to make a short stop in Chareleroi due to knock-on effects of the delay."

"Customers on this flight are entitled to compensation in line with regulations and we have proactively sent them information on how to submit a claim. We appreciate our customers’ patience and understanding and we are sorry for any inconvenience caused." A number of EasyJet flights to the likes of Faro, Gatwick, Liverpool and Bristol were also disrupted, with passengers saying they experienced 'chaos'. The budget airline said it was doing all it could to minimise disruption but said the disruption was outside its control.

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