Chaotic situation as GB airways flight from Madrid to Gibraltar is diverted to Malaga for being late
A British airways flight from Madrid (operated by GB airways) on Monday night was diverted to Malaga for being late.
A reader, who said he was a passenger, said: The pilot told passengers that the flight controller at Gibraltar 'had gone home.'
The Gibraltar airport is open from 8am to 11pm. The airliner was scheduled to arrive at 9.30pm, but was delayed to about 11pm.
The station commander told PANORAMA that they had no more 'controller hours' available. Flight controllers are strictly regulated, so the decision was taken to divert to Malaga. He said he regretted any inconvenience.
'NO ONE KNEW'
Over in Malaga, the passengers arrived without knowing what was happening. "No passenger knew, or anyone informed us, that the Gibraltar control tower closes at 11pm and it is totally impossible to change this," said a passenger, Rosa Garcia.
It appears that controller hours are established worldwide and any variation requires notification six months in advance.
The delay was due to problems at Barajas, the passenger says she was told yesterday at Gibraltar airport.
The result was that at 10.40pm the pilot of the aircraft said in English, and only in English, that he had to land in Malaga, protested the passenger. There was no one in the crew who spoke Spanish, which resulted in a Gibraltarian having to tell the Spaniards "to pick up their luggage normally and those who wanted could make their own travel arrangements and others could catch the coach."
The Spanish passenger adds: Before alighting from the aircraft I asked if we would be given dinner, and the stewards told us that in the air terminal we would be informed. But there was no one there, either from the airport or from the company.
CHAOTIC SITUATION
There was no one there to tell us where the coach could be found, or to explain what was happening, or offer us a drink or food, there was no one there with a passenger list to carry out a check. That was the chaotic situation related by the passenger.
In the end some left by taxi, others called family members to pick them up and some found the coach. The flight was nearly full, but only some ten persons arrived at Gibraltar on the bus, including a girl of about 6 years.
We tried to claim but in Gibraltar there was nobody from British Airways. One had to telephone England or write a letter. We had no right, even to an explanation, she said.