Passengers stuck in Glasgow after plane unable to land at island airport

Some 47 travellers are ‘stranded’ this evening after their plane was unable to land due to poor visibility at Balivanich Airport.

The Loganair aircraft circled around for about 40 minutes but the low cloud stubbornly refused to shift and attempting a landing was too hazardous.

The plane headed back to Glasgow landing around 4pm.

Glasgow-Barra and Tiree flights were cancelled for the same reason.

Unhappy passengers vented their anger on social media suggesting some of them would have to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday for another flight to Benbecula. There were also claims no seats are available on the Stornoway flight which would have allowed a connection via the Sound of Harris ferry.

One irate traveller said Loganair suggested “getting us a bus, leaving Glasgow at 3am, to catch 9am ferry from Uig.

“A plane full (55 passengers) with no space on next day flights would surely merit an extra flight.”

However, the aircraft only carries up to 49 passengers - seven fewer than stated in a social media thread.

In addition, five seats were available earlier this evening (Sunday) for booking on the Monday morning Glasgow-Stornoway flight which no-one has yet taken up. Nine empty seats were also available from Edinburgh to Stornoway at 11.15am tomorrow (Monday).

A spokesperson for Loganair told Hebrides News: “This afternoon's Glasgow-Benbecula flight turned back to Glasgow as the cloud base at Benbecula was too low to enable the pilots to legally and safely make an approach to the airport.

“The aircraft had 47 passengers aboard and landed back in Glasgow at 15:52 hrs local time after 90 minutes airborne, and with no reasonable prospect of weather conditions at Benbecula lifting to enable an approach to the airport to be made.

“Although we appreciate that this is highly inconvenient to both the Glasgow-Benbecula customers and those waiting in Benbecula for a return flight to Glasgow, such circumstances can arise, and neither Loganair nor any other airline can control the weather.

“Loganair is providing accommodation for customers in Glasgow and offering alternative flights as available.

“Some customers have been able to rebook for tomorrow on Glasgow-Benbecula flights, and there are a number of seats remaining available on the 07:05 Glasgow-Stornoway and 11.15am Edinburgh-Stornoway services.”

The spokesperson added: “We understand that customers are seeking Loganair to provide an extra flight on Monday, yet this requires availability of aircraft and crew to accomplish the extra flight.

“In common with every other airline, Loganair cannot reasonably cancel or disrupt journeys of other customers planned to travel on Monday to redeploy aircraft to provide an extra flight to Benbecula following today's weather disruption.

“We will continue to provide all necessary assistance to enable customers to reach their destination at the earliest reasonable opportunity following today's disruption due to adverse weather.”

One Facebook comment pointed out: “Airlines are not obligated to provide accommodation when it is weather or visibility related but do so on a regular basis for Highland and Island routes which is a positive thing.

“Unfortunately due to the islands not having (airport aviation) guidance systems they can’t take the chance landing in poor visibility so ultimately they are looking after passenger safety at the end of the day.”

Passengers stuck in Glasgow after plane unable to land at island airport

16 April 2023