Wakefield couple spend 40 hours stranded at Gran Canaria airport after flight home cancelled due to sandstorms

Martin and Laura Griffiths spent a week on the island, and were due to fly home on Saturday.

Their flight was one of hundreds affected by a huge sandstorm over the weekend, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded at Gran Canaria Airport.

But despite many other passengers being returned home, the couple remain stranded at the airport, and say they are not receiving clear information on when they will be able to return home.

And they say Reps for TUI, the company they booked with, have not provided any information since Monday evening.

Mr Griffiths, 33, said: “It’s been a very, very long few days.

"We’ve been in the airport for 40 plus hours.

“Our luggage was taken off us on Saturday morning, we’ve had to buy new clothes and toiletries.

“We’ve spent €1,200 since Saturday, buying food and new clothes, and because there’s so many people the queues are massive.

“I kept saying I didn’t want the holiday to be over but I wish I hadn’t now.”

The couple, from Lofthouse, were placed in hotel rooms for the first two nights of their delay, but say they were forced to sleep in the airport on Monday night after local hotels became overbooked.

They are asking TUI to give them clear answers on when they will be able to return home, as they say they have received mixed messages so far.

Mr Griffiths who runs a construction company and is paying his staff during his absence, said they also had concerns for their children, Mason, 8, and Mylee, 6, who are staying with their grandparents in Wakefield.

He said: “They’ve been crying and asking for us. It’s just one thing after another.

“They’re literally going to school in non-uniform at the moment. The school have been brilliant.

“My dad has to drive to Laura’s mum’s to pick them up for school in the morning. All the grandparents are involved.”

Including airport purchases, lost work hours and the ongoing cost of airport parking in Manchester, Mr Griffiths claims that the delay will cost the couple upwards of £2,500.

The couple say they took out holiday insurance but are uncertain whether the incident will be covered by the policy.

A spokesperson for TUI said: “We would like to sincerely apologise to our customers whose flights were disrupted by adverse and changeable weather conditions in the Canary Islands over the past few days. The safety of our customers and crew is always our highest priority and we’re working tirelessly to get everyone to their destination as quickly as possible.

"All flights scheduled to depart from the Canary Islands today will be operating as planned.

"We are very sorry for any inconvenience caused and would like to thank our customers for their co-operation and patience.

"For the most up to date flight information please click here: https://www.tui.co.uk/flight/arrivals-and-departures."