Most stranded pilgrims to fly home on Sunday, says EasyJet

A spokesman said the group contained a significant number of elderly people

EasyJet has said all but nine people from a group of elderly pilgrims, left stranded in Portugal since Thursday, will be back in Scotland by Sunday.

It follows the cancellation of their flight home from a trip to Fatima in Portugal, organised by the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh.

On Thursday EasyJet said it would take them until next Tuesday to bring all of the group back to Scotland.

Trip leaders had expressed concern for the welfare of some in their party.

Several of them require medication and were concerned about prescriptions running low.

They had travelled from Edinburgh to Lisbon on the 19 October for a seven-day pilgrimage to the holy site at Fatima, which attracts millions of Catholics every year.

However, upon arrival at Lisbon Airport, they were told that their flight home was cancelled due to fog.

Another night

EasyJet had said it could only return the pilgrims in smaller groups and only if they travelled via Milan and London.

But the archdiocese said that a flight to return the group planned for Friday evening was also cancelled, leaving the pilgrims stranded for another night in Lisbon.

The pilgrims were originally meant to spend seven days in Portugal

A spokesman said: "The Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh feels very let down by EasyJet for cancelling the pilgrims' flights home not once but, now, twice.

"Many of the pilgrims are elderly and are on repeat prescriptions that are running low.

"The Archdiocese is working as hard as it can to sort this situation out, but we seem to be getting met by both indifference and incompetence on the part of EasyJet."

A spokesman for the airline denied that a second flight on Friday had been cancelled.

'Some progress'

He said that all but nine passengers - who would fly home on Tuesday - would be back in Scotland by Sunday.

He said: "I confirm the flight wasn't cancelled twice but only on 26 October. All the passengers are travelling via MXP (Milan), LTN (Luton) and LGW (Gatwick) and all of them will be home by tomorrow.

"We have assisted them on the ground with updated information, refreshments and hotel accommodation."

Daniel Johnson, the MSP for Edinburgh South, said the service offered by EasyJet was "not good enough". He added: "It's a long time to be stranded for anyone and some of these people are quite elderly. It will be expensive for them too and very disruptive.

He added: "I am very pleased that we seem to be making some progress and there seems to be a plan. But I will be asking EasyJet to provide this in writing."