EasyJet holiday: Dozens stranded in Tunisia after Belfast flight cancelled

Dozens of people from Northern Ireland have been left stranded in Tunisia after their EasyJet flight home was cancelled, with the airline telling them it had no other flights available for another 10 days.

One man told BBC News NI he has spent £4,000 on travel home for his family-of-five, while another woman, Georgina Doherty, said she and her six children were trying to get home after the death of her mother-in-law.

Others described running out of medication for health issues, while EasyJet were also criticised over a lack of support and communication.

EasyJet has said it is operating an additional direct flight to Belfast on Tuesday night, and that it was "very sorry" for the inconvenience.

BBC News NI understands more than 100 people were booked onto the cancelled flight that was due to leave Enfidha-Hamamet Airport for Belfast International three days ago.

Stuart McCartney, from Dromore, County Down, said he had spent thousands on accommodation and flights to get his family home via a flight to Brussels.

"I'm willing to pay £4,000 to get us home, if needs be, and then battle for reimbursement if I have to after that," he said.

"But we shouldn't have to pay. My holiday was a fraction of what I'm paying to get home right now."

McCartney said EasyJet provided two nights of accommodation but then told the family to find alternative accommodation for the rest of the delay.

He said his mother Katherine, who accompanied his wife and children on the trip, relies on heart medication and they have had to keep a close eye on her remaining supply as the delay continued.

An EasyJet spokesperson said that the company "have been doing everything we can to support Mr McCartney, providing hotel accommodation and meals and we will be reimbursing expenses that may have been incurred".

Georgina Doherty, who is originally from Londonderry but now lives in County Donegal, told BBC News NI the last few days have been an "absolute nightmare" for her family.

Her husband returned home a day before they were due to fly back due to his mother taking ill. She has since died, with Doherty and her six children stranded in Tunisia.

What happened to the EasyJet flight from Tunisia to Belfast?

McCartney said passengers had completed the normal departure process on Saturday night, collecting their boarding passes and gathering at the gate before the flight was called off after more than two hours of delays.

He said the pilot told passengers the aircraft had a number of technical problems, including an issue affecting its steering.

He said "tired and anxious" passengers were eventually taken through the airport in the early hours of Sunday morning and transported by bus to separate hotels.

When he returned to the airport on Sunday, McCartney said an EasyJet agent was only able to look at the airline's own options and could not find a route that would get his family home sooner.

With his children due to return to school and the adults expected back at work, he looked for an alternative. The family are now booked on flights from Tunisia to Brussels, followed by a seven-hour layover before travelling on to Dublin on Wednesday.

He said the uncertainty had taken an emotional toll on his family, particularly his children - he said his son, who is due to return to school and rugby training school, "broke down badly" when he learned of the delay.

Meanwhile, passengers have been supporting each other, he added, helping with transport, translation and finding alternative routes home.

"The camaraderie with people is unbelievable," he added.

"We all are trying so hard for each other."

Like Stuart McCartney, Georgina Doherty and her six children, aged from four to 16, were given two nights accommodation.

On the third day, she said they were told they would have to check out or pay up front for the remainder of our stay.

That would have cost upwards of €3,700 (£3,170), she said.

Doherty said all this was happening as she was trying to tell her children that their "granny had died".

"You couldn't actually have time to process it because we were so stressed out trying to secure the accommodation for the seven of us.

"You couldn't script it, what has happened," she said.

Like many of the passengers, she said, her family has felt abandoned by the airline.

"There has been a complete blackout of communication."

Martine Murray from Belfast, said she is desperate to return home because her mother is seriously ill.

She said she has had to borrow money from friends and family to pay for alternative accommodation after leaving a hotel arranged by EasyJet, which she described as dirty.

"I don't have that money, but I'll have to pay it back," she said.

Murray also has COPD and has run out of her inhaler.

She said she had received an email informing her that her flight had been cancelled, but had been unable to get further information from the airline despite trying to contact it.

"Get us home, we need to get home now," she said.

"I would never travel with them (EasyJet) again."

Natasha Dovbijenko, who is travelling with her husband and child, said the hotel provided by EasyJet was very dirty, with bathrooms that did not work.

Dovbijenko added there was then "a lot of back and forth" over their travel arrangements, including an attempt to separate her from her husband, before they eventually secured a flight to Liverpool.

From there, they had to arrange their own travel back to Ireland.

"There's been no contact from EasyJet, just a message that night saying sorry to hear your flight was cancelled," she said.

"They've treated us very bad. No contact. EasyJet have basically just left us."

EasyJet said the flight to Belfast on 23 August "experienced a technical issue and was unable to operate".

A spokesperson added: "We have been doing everything we can to support our customers, providing hotel accommodation and meals and we will be reimbursing expenses that may have been incurred.

"As alternative flight options including with other carriers are very limited at this busy time of year, we will be operating an additional direct flight from Enfidha to Belfast this evening and providing onward transfers home where needed," the spokeperson said.

The airline said it would be contacting customers directly with the information on the flight.

"A dedicated number - 03305515147 - is also available for customers in Enfidha who require assistance. easyJet holidays customers are also being contacted directly," the spokeperson said.

"The welfare of our customers is our highest priority and we are very sorry for the inconvenience caused."