Air passengers 'told to buy fuel'

17/11/11

By Leo Stevens

Austrian airline Comtel Air has some explaining to do after some of its passengers claimed they had to pay £20,000 to ensure their flight returned to Britain.

Passengers on board a flight from Amritsar in India to Birmingham said they were forced to stump up the money themselves when the plane stopped to refuel in Austria.

Those on board said they were "held to ransom" for six hours in Vienna before agreeing to stump up the money in order to return home.

The flight, containing around 180 passengers, finally touched down at Birmingham Airport three days later than scheduled on Tuesday night, according to the Birmingham Mail.

One passenger, Ranbir Dehal, from Wolverhampton, said: "We were escorted to the cash point to take money out. They said there was a deficit of nearly 24,000 euros and they gave us receipts."

Reena Rindi, who was aboard with her two-year-old daughter, told Channel 4 News: "We all got together, took our money out of purses - £130. If we didn't have the money they were making us go one by one outside in Vienna to get the cash out."

Bhunpinder Kandra, Comtel Air's director of passenger services, told the Press Association: "The people who had to pay the money will receive a refund."