Passengers barricaded themselves in a plane, after landing in Varna instead of Sofia. The incident dates back to Friday, but came to light in a video on social media today.
The footage is from the early hours of May 27 at Varna Airport. Until the last moment, all 200 passengers from Abu Dhabi flew with the thought that they would land in Sofia. Instead, they find themselves more than 400 kilometers from the target.
Among the passengers who refuse to get off are Toshko Petrov and lawyer Lidiya Dimitrova.
I was very shocked. A court session I had to attend in the city of Plovdiv, my car is parked in a parking lot in the city of Sofia,” says Lidiya Dimitrova.
“Why, paying for the ticket to Sofia, are we delivered to Varna?” asks Toshko Petrov.
The reason for the incident – the capital’s airport is closed.
“And why didn’t they inform us in advance – many people were standing, waiting for their loved ones to get off the plane. They were from different cities,” adds Toshko Petrov.
“I don’t think that a low-budget company means a company that can treat people like animals and not respect their civil rights,” said Lidiya Dimitrova.
The airline said that they had planned a flight from Varna to Sofia, but the bad weather prevented it.
“There are not enough personnel to carry you legally. I am also negotiating with the company. I have reported that you refuse to get off,” says the pilot.
They appealed to the Ministry of Transport to check the reasons and whether the passengers’ rights were respected.
“I ordered the management of DG Civil Aviation Administration to carry out a thorough inspection of the reasons that led to the situation at Varna airport, in which passengers refused to get off the plane. Above all, I want it to be clarified by the inspectors whether the passengers’ rights were respected.” says the acting Minister of Transport Hristo Alexiev.
After four hours of negotiations, the people were transported to Sofia by bus. They will seek their rights in court.
2023-05-29 18:30:24
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