A disabled pensioner has spoken of his experience being left on a plane waiting for special assistance for almost an hour
Belfast International Airport has apologised to a disabled pensioner who was forced to stay on a plane over delays to special assistance.
The 75-year-old man and his wife, 72, had already faced a “three-hour delay” on the easyJet flight to Majorca and were then forced to wait another hour for special assistance to be taken off the return flight back in Belfast.
And when they eventually gained access to the Northern Ireland port, immigration officers had left their customs desks leaving the couple stranded for some time to have their passports checked.
The pensioner, who wished to remain anonymous, spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) over what he claims is “chronic under-staffing” of special assistance.
He said: “The problem with Belfast International Airport is on the night, there were five flights in before us and we ended up doing laps of Lough Neagh waiting to land.
“On the way out to Majorca we had a three-hour delay and got to our rooms at 6am and I also ended up in hospital there, with pneumonia. So, it was eventful enough even at that point.
“On the return, back to Belfast we ended up having to sit on the plane for the best part of an hour, 50mins for sure, before we were able to get off. You can’t use the loo, which surprised me and there was no offer of any water.
“I’ve been getting special assistance for five or six years and it is arranged in advance of my flights. I have osteoporosis and have cracks at the bottom of my spine, so I don’t do standing for very long at all or walk any distance.
“As well as that my right ankle became fused years back and I also have atrial-fibrillation, which is an irregular heart beat, which leaves me breathless, that’s why I have to have the wheelchair.
“It’s really chronic under-staffing for special assistance in my opinion.”
When contacted by the LDRS, an easyJet spokesperson said: “This is clearly not an acceptable experience and absolutely not what we expect for our customers, and we are looking into why this happened with the airport and their special assistance provider.
“Our crew remained onboard with the passenger while waiting for the airport’s special assistance to arrive to ensure his well-being and water and toilets onboard were available.”
An airport spokesperson said :“The safety and comfort of all the passengers that travel through Belfast International Airport is our priority and we are deeply sorry that the service experienced on this occasion was below our usual high standards.
“This was due to a number of aircraft arriving earlier or later than their scheduled arrival time and a number of passengers requiring assistance who had not booked, which conflated the problem.
“The provision of Special Assistance in every UK airport is audited by the Civil Aviation Authority and we work closely with them to ensure we are providing the highest standard of care for the over 110,000 passengers who require Special Assistance at Belfast International Airport every year.
“Belfast International Airport has received a Good rating from the CAA for its Special Assistance provision. We again apologise for the inconvenience caused to the passenger and would be happy to discuss the issue with the passenger directly.”