Passengers' anger at air scare

bmibaby flies from Cardiff to European destinations

Passengers on a bmibaby flight which was forced to make an emergency landing at Jersey airport have criticised the way the incident was handled.

The flight from Cardiff to Toulouse, with 114 passengers, was forced down on Saturday night after the cabin air pressure failed and smoke entered the cabin.

Passengers claimed that some oxygen masks were not working.

But bmibaby denied the allegation about the masks and insisted they were all working.

Jan Waite, from Narberth in Pembrokeshire, said: "The oxygen masks were just not working so it felt like you were passing out," she said.

She also complained that the passengers were not given any information about the situation when they were waiting at Jersey airport.

"We were waiting there for four hours," she said.

"Then suddenly, having been told we were going to Toulouse we were told we were going back to Cardiff with no explanation at all."

Ms Waite has been offered a replacement flight this Saturday, which she has said she will take.

But Martin Ward from Swindon, who is missing his entire holiday as a result of the incident, also complained about the oxygen masks.

"I don't think any of them were working to be honest," he said.

But a spokeswoman for the airline said: "I have spoken to the engineers and I can confirm the oxygen masks were all working," she said.

The plane landed safely on Saturday evening, but the passengers were stranded on the island until 2340 BST when a replacement plane returned them to south Wales.

A statement from the budget airline said: "The bmibaby flight performed standard procedure following depressurisation of the aircraft, landing safely at Jersey Airport.

"The plane will now be grounded and won't be able to fly until full safety checks are carried out."

Later, the airline said all passengers on the affected service had been offered a full refund or the opportunity to book on alternatives.

It also said it sincerely apologised for any inconvenience.