Technical fault forces Thomas Cook Cuba flight to turn back

| June 27, 2017, 08:19

A delayed Thomas Cook Airlines long-haul flight from Manchester was forced to return after a “suspected technical fault” was discovered.

The Airbus A330 bound for Holguin in Cuba turned back to Manchester airport less than an hour into the flight as the aircraft flew over Ireland.

The aircraft with 322 passengers on board landed yesterday afternoon with the tip of its left wing missing. A passenger claimed engineers had used ‘sticky tape’ to fix a wing during its delayed departure.

Simon Rowlinson tweeted a picture of engineers on a cherry picker machine examining the wing before it took off. He wrote: “Thomas Cook sticky tape repairs to MT2652 at MCR Airport! Not sure I want to go on holiday now!”

The flight eventually took off at around midday, nearly two hours later. But the captain decided to return to Manchester after a low oil alert.

A spokeswoman for Thomas Cook Airlines insisted the work being conducted on the wing was part of a routine examination and had nothing to do with the problem which forced the aircraft to return, the Manchester Evening News reported.

A spokesman told MailOnline: “Thomas Cook Airlines flight MT2652 to Holguin returned to Manchester as a precaution after a suspected technical fault.

“Safety always comes first and the aircraft will undergo a full safety check before returning to service. We are sorry to our customers for the delay and will get them back on the way as soon as possible.”

He added: “The plane’s wingtip is currently being repaired. In the interim the aircraft is safe and legal to fly in this condition.”

The flight to the Caribbean was meant to have left Manchester at 9.55am, but was delayed by more than two hours.

It was scheduled to arrive in Cuba at 2.35pm local time. Thomas Cook arranged overnight accommodation in a hotel for the passengers, while maintenance was carried out on the Airbus.