A father has described the "horrible" ordeal his family endured after their TUI flight from Cancun to Manchester Airport was diverted to a small Canadian town due to an unruly passenger. The Boeing 787-9 was forced to land in Gander, Newfoundland, early on Friday morning after a man exhibited "aggressive and alarming" behaviour mid-flight.
Incident on board
Mr Stockford, travelling with his wife and four daughters, recounted that the man sat directly behind his children repeatedly attempted to exit the aircraft and made disturbing comments about "a man with a knife," frightening many passengers, including children. Crew members and a doctor managed to subdue the individual, but the pilot deemed him a flight risk as the plane approached the Pacific Ocean and decided to divert to Canada.
According to Mr Stockford, the passenger's wife later claimed his behaviour was due to diazepam he had purchased from a taxi driver in Mexico.
Stranded in Gander
Upon landing, passengers were told they would be looked after, but the reality was different. With nearly 400 people disembarking, the family faced a three-hour transfer to a hotel in a 12-seater school bus. The hotel room was only available for four hours due to a large event in town. After returning to the airport, they were informed of a 14-hour delay before departure, forcing most passengers to sleep on the cold floor of Gander Airport with limited food, drink, and clothing, as luggage remained on the plane.
Local residents stepped in to help, providing free transport and assisting with essentials. Gander has a history of supporting stranded travellers, notably during the 9/11 attacks, an event commemorated in the musical Come From Away.
Aftermath
The flight was scheduled to land at Manchester Airport at 7:15 am on Friday, but the family did not arrive home until Saturday. Mr Stockford, a business owner, said the incident left his children traumatised and caused loss of earnings for both him and his wife. He criticised TUI for failing to provide adequate support, stating: "TUI from the start of being diverted to the end, just completely failed us."
TUI has been approached for comment.
