Dutch TUI holidaymakers stranded for days in Egypt

Dutch holidaymakers traveling with TUI were detained in Egypt for about four days. It concerns 180 travelers, almost all of whom have booked holiday packages to the Red Sea resorts of Hurghada and Marsa Alam.

The Dutch were supposed to fly to Amsterdam last Saturday, but were told shortly before the flight that the plane could not take off for technical reasons. TUI said the flight would take place the following day. By Sunday evening, the problems were still unresolved and passengers were returned to their hotels hours later.

Also on Monday, just before departure from the airport, passengers were told that their flight would not be possible. Today, on the fourth day, TUI brought the tourists to Amsterdam with another plane. Travelers are now back in the Netherlands. TUI has arranged an all-inclusive hotel for the holidaymakers who can stay three extra nights in Egypt.

wait three days

“We had to wait at the airport for five to six hours without any information, then we were sent back to the hotel,” says one cheated holidaymaker. “And three days in a row.” The 33-year-old Rotterdammer, who chose not to be named, was on holiday in Egypt for eight days.

Holidaymakers were informed by text message. The woman finds the course of events “unbelievable”. Just before departure, the woman said, “It’s not a long vacation. “There are people here with children and the elderly,” he said.

unusual delay

TUI calls this a “particularly unfortunate series of events”. A spokesperson said the technical issues appeared to have been resolved after day one, but were re-registered shortly before they started on days two and three. There were also problems with the Egyptian authorities.

Some of the passengers left earlier in the day on other flights. The spokesperson said that this degree of delay is unusual and that TUI will compensate passengers “quite a lot”.