They were supposed to leave Forlì at 7.30 and land in Punta Raisi at 8.50, convenient for enjoying the whole day of Christmas Eve with their loved ones. But the many returning Palermitans had to deal with an odyssey. First a breakdown of the plane that had previously landed from Palermo, then the wait for a replacement flight that never arrived in the Romagna airport and, finally, the transfer by bus to Bologna for the long-awaited take-off. The arrival at Falcone Borsellino is expected to be more than 9 hours late.
The passengers showed up at dawn at Luigi Ridolfi airport, a stopover chosen by numerous Sicilians who live, study or work in that area of Italy. But once they arrived at the terminal they discovered that they would not leave on time. “From the information circulated, we learned that the plane that had previously arrived from Palermo at 7 in the morning could not leave due to a punctured wheel and time was lost for the arrival of a replacement aircraft,” said some of the passengers present at the Forlì airport.
In the first flight update notified through the app, Ryanair wrote: “Your flight FR1039 is delayed due to a minor technical problem with the aircraft. A technician is already repairing the problem and we expect you to depart at 8.30am.” Another message arrived immediately afterwards: “Unfortunately the flight has been further delayed. The new departure time is scheduled for 11am.” But it didn’t end here.
Around 11am, yet another alert with which the company implicitly admitted the replacement of the aircraft: “The aircraft that will operate your flight is currently en route to Forlì”. A breakfast voucher was also distributed to passengers. But the voucher did not soothe the discontent given that from postponement to postponement we then arrived at 1.30pm with the communication of the transfer to Bologna by bus.
FA srl, the company that manages Forlì airport, issued a note to explain the incident: “This morning the Ryanair flight FR 1039 scheduled at 7.30 from Forlì to Palermo was delayed by a few hours due to a technical problem with the main landing gear (central landing gear of the aircraft) due to the failure of a tyre. However, the landing took place in non-emergency conditions for the occupants of the Boeing arriving at Ridolfi from Sicily. The airline therefore arranged two more aircraft in Forlì, from Bergamo and Barcelona, intended to transport those who had to reach the Falcone-Borsellino airport: unfortunately the adverse weather conditions did not allow the planes to land. Hence the decision to transfer the flight, with dedicated coaches, to the Marconi airport in Bologna. The waiting passengers were extremely cooperative and all the FA srl staff on duty immediately took action.
