Engine failure on London to Athens British Airways plane
British Airways passengers suffered a nightmare flight from London to Athens, which ended up taking 33 hours and four planes.
Passengers who were caught up in the ordeal which began on Tuesday last week.
The flight time from London to Athens is less than four hours, but this journey lasted eight times longer.
A faulty cockpit warning light caused the first flight, due to depart at 1.15pm, to be cancelled at Heathrow.
But that was just the first in a long line of problems for passengers.
The second plane couldn’t take off at its scheduled time of 5pm because cabin crew had exceeded their working hours.
Passenger Geoff Lye said the pilot told them it was “the most embarrassing PA announcement” he had made.
After an hour on the plane due to “security issues”, passengers were allowed to disembark.
BA gave them vouchers for a night’s stay in London, before the travellers returned the next day to board another plane.
Mr Lye told the Evening Standard: “We just took off and there was a bang and it was the engine next to me. There was this huge noise and a judder, and then there were about six more bangs. It was one bang after another.
“I’m an atheist but even I was praying. Our hearts were racing. Passengers behind me said they could see flames kicking out from the engine.”
The pilots shut down the right engine and turned back to Heathrow.
Later that night at 7.40pm on Wednesday, the fourth and final plane took off bound for its destination.
Passengers finally arrived in Athens early Thursday morning.
Mr Lye, a pensioner, said he had been loyally flying BA for nearly 40 years but will now avoid the airline.
He added: “There was no communication and it was unbelievable they could get so much wrong.”
BA confirmed there were four planes involved in the two-day ordeal.
source: express.co.uk
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