Thomson has apologised after holidaymakers were delayed for more than 38 hours due to a ‘technical issue’ on one of its aircraft.
Delays to the Thursday 6am flight from Aberdeen to Faro left 140 stranded at Aberdeen Airport and 114 in Portugal, according to reports.
The flight eventually took off from Aberdeen on Friday evening.
Passengers flying from Portugal were diverted to Manchester and then taken by coach to Aberdeen, arriving in the city at about 01:00 on Saturday.
Thomson said those affected were put up in hotels and were given vouchers and refreshments, but some passengers complained they were not kept properly informed.
A Thomson spokesman said: “We would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused to customers who travelled on flights FPO811 from Aberdeen to Faro and FPO812 from Faro to Aberdeen, which were unfortunately delayed as a result of a technical issue.
“We can confirm that customers on flight FP0812 arrived into Manchester at 1448 local time following a chartered Thomson flight where we arranged a coach service on to Aberdeen. Flight FP0811 arrived into Faro at 23:40 local time from Aberdeen.
"We provided affected customers with overnight accommodation and vouchers for refreshments. We also be providing letters to customers with EU flight delay claim information in line with the Civil Aviation Authority’s guidelines.
"We understand how frustrating a flight delay can be and we would like to thank affected passengers for their patience and understanding."
