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Passengers stage sit-in on plane at Birmingham Airport | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Some 100 passengers staged a sit-in on a plane at Birmingham Airport refusing to get off for several hours. | |
The Viking Hellas flight was originally scheduled to leave from Manchester for Athens at 13:00 BST, but passengers were then taken by bus to Birmingham. | The Viking Hellas flight was originally scheduled to leave from Manchester for Athens at 13:00 BST, but passengers were then taken by bus to Birmingham. |
They boarded a plane due to leave at 17:00, but were then told to get off, which they refused to do. | They boarded a plane due to leave at 17:00, but were then told to get off, which they refused to do. |
At about 01:30 BST they finally agreed to leave and left the airport by bus to return to Manchester. | At about 01:30 BST they finally agreed to leave and left the airport by bus to return to Manchester. |
West Midlands Police boarded the plane during the dispute. | |
A police spokesman said: "It was just a civil dispute and the police were there monitoring the situation to make sure it didn't get out of hand." | |
He said there had been "an issue between the airline and the passengers". | |
A passenger named Dorota said the flight had been chartered and they were originally due to fly on Friday, 21 October. | |
She said: "People are hungry. They have not eaten since this morning. | She said: "People are hungry. They have not eaten since this morning. |
"The air conditioning has been switched off and it is getting hot. The airline will not give us food, only water." | "The air conditioning has been switched off and it is getting hot. The airline will not give us food, only water." |
She later said: "We decided to leave the plane because there was no point in staying on there. | She later said: "We decided to leave the plane because there was no point in staying on there. |
"We are going home. We have got a letter from Viking Hellas and we can get a refund." | "We are going home. We have got a letter from Viking Hellas and we can get a refund." |
The letter said the plane could not take off due to unforeseen circumstances, she said. | |
No-one has been available for comment from Viking Hellas. | No-one has been available for comment from Viking Hellas. |