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'Frustration' at seven-hour runway wait

Getty Images The glass-fronted entrance to Newcastle International Airport. Several taxis are parked outside.Getty Images
Passengers were in the plane on the runway for seven hours before the flight was cancelled

A councillor has spoken of his frustration at being stuck on a runway for seven hours before the flight was cancelled.

Durham County Council's John Shuttleworth and his wife were on the plane at Newcastle International Airport, while the Jet2 flight to Alicante was grounded due to poor weather on Sunday.

Shuttleworth said he was frustrated by the lack of communication from the airline and that the runway "was clear and planes were landing".

Jet2 said the plane was boarded in the hope the "severe weather" would improve, but ultimately the flight had to be cancelled.

Travel was disrupted across the North East and Cumbria after the region was hit by snow and ice.

Shuttleworth said: "I accept these things do happen but it's the fact that at the last minute they said, 'oh, we're not going to fly', but other flights that were scheduled after ours had already gone.

"It's frustrating, it's not fair and it's not right. I think it is about time we had some answers."

Councillor John Shuttleworth during an interview with the BBC over Zoom. He is sitting in his hotel room and is wearing dark clothing.
Shuttleworth said he booked another flight with a different airline because of the delays

The couple stayed at a hotel in Newcastle rather than risk driving 45 miles (72km) home in poor conditions.

Shuttleworth said he and his wife had booked themselves onto a Ryanair flight on Monday morning, which had arrived in Alicante.

Jet2 sent an email shortly before midnight on Sunday telling the couple their flight had been rescheduled for 07:15 on Monday.

Shuttleworth said that passengers may have missed the email because it was sent so late.

He also said he had sympathy for "the workers on the ground" but blamed senior management at Jet2 and the airport for the delay.

A spokesperson for Jet2 described the severe weather as a set of "extraordinary circumstances which were completely beyond [its] control".

"As a result of the severe weather conditions affecting most of the UK, yesterday's LS583 flight from Newcastle International to Alicante has unfortunately been delayed until today, and we have provided an update to customers on the flight," the airline said.

Newcastle Airport declined to comment.

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