Thousands stranded abroad

23rd April 2010

Poles stranded by the closure of European air space caused by the volcanic ash cloud started to return home on Wednesday telling tales of squalid conditions as holidays turned into nightmares.

In Egypt alone, some 4,000 tourists were waiting for a flight home, and complaining about the conditions they had to contend with.

“We feel helpless in the face of it all. We feel abandoned,” said one woman trapped in the Egyptian resort of Hurghada, who did not wished to be named.  

As LOT Polish airlines resumed normal services after the shut-down, it also began to organise special charter flights as it tried to bring the stranded back home. Flights were also diverted to airports in the ...