easyJet reportedly blamed cancellation on staff illness in Manx ATC
An Island resident who was left stranded in London on Sunday says there was ‘no duty of care’ for passengers after Ronaldsway refused to accept an incoming flight.
Sharon Leaton was one of more than a hundred travellers who saw their easyJet flight from Gatwick aborted as it was taxiing up the runway.
The airline reportedly told passengers it was due to an air traffic controller in the Isle of Man going off sick and there being no cover to enable the flight to land in the allocated timeframe.
Sharon says passengers – including children and the elderly – were left to fend for themselves:
The Department of Infrastructure has told Manx Radio 'staffing constraints' on Sunday meant it wasn’t possible to allow an extension to Ronaldsway’s opening hours until 11pm.
It didn’t address the claims reportedly made by easyJet, in relation to staff sickness within air traffic control, but said: "The flexibility and willingness of staff to assist passengers should not be called into question."
The department also confirmed that during May and June the airport extended its opening hours beyond the agreed 9.30pm seasonal extension, for the London Gatwick service, on 48 out of 61 days.
Manx Radio has approached easyJet for comment.
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