Flybe flight delayed waiting for glue to dry on wing hole
An airline has apologised to passengers after an Edinburgh to Stornoway flight was delayed by more than two hours while ground staff waited for glue to dry on the plane's patched up tail wing.
A hole in the plane's de-icing system was patched up with glue, and the repair on the Flybe flight, operated on behalf of Loganair, saw 15 passengers stuck on tarmac for two hours at Edinburgh Airport.
A patch was used to cover a pin-sized hole in rubber tubing attached to the tail, which inflates mid-air to break up any forming ice, during the incident last Wednesday.
The Reverend Iver Martin was one passenger on the plane. He told the Daily Record: "We were told a hole had developed in part of the tail wing and they were pleased to announce they had put a patch on and were waiting for the glue to dry. Is this acceptable in this day and age? The answer is absolutely not."
Speaking to the Scotsman, a Loganair spokesman said: "During a pre-flight inspection ahead of the 5pm departure of the BE6147 service, a fault was discovered in the aircraft's de-icing system. The pneumatic section of the tail needed an adhesive patch, which required the necessary curing period before the aircraft was cleared for departure at 7:23pm."
The spokesman added: "As a provider of public transport services, passenger safety must always be our primary concern."
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