Woman stranded in airport for more than 17 hours tells of ‘carnage’

A YORKSHIRE woman who was left stranded at a European airport for more than 17 hours after a fuel pump breakdown grounded flights has described how she was forced to sleep behind the check-in desk with no access to food, water or medication.

Ella Sykes, 27, from Leeds, said the scene in the terminal was “absolute carnage” when she and a friend arrived at Lisbon airport at 2pm for a 5.30pm Ryanair flight to Manchester on Wednesday after a short break in the Portuguese capital. She described how people were forced to sleep on the floor and even baggage conveyors after the system failure left thousands of people unable to get home. Speaking to The Yorkshire

Post yesterday, Miss Sykes said: “We have been stranded here all night.” She also told of how she had to fight to get access to her anti-anxiety medication and wait for the shops to close before water was eventually handed out. She said Portuguese police and staff were “treating us like animals” as they were “herded” around the airport. Miss Sykes spent last night in a hotel and was due to fly home this morning.

A spokesperson for Ryanair said: “All affected customers were provided with refreshment and accommodation vouchers, were contacted by email and text message and advised of their options of a full refund, a free transfer onto the next available flight, or a free transfer onto an alternative flight route. Ryanair sincerely apologised to all customers affected by this disruption, which was entirely beyond our control.”

However, Miss Sykes described the response as “shocking”.

She said: “The communication was totally sporadic at best. I personally didn’t receive any form of update.”