Stricken airline cancels services

Comtel Air has cancelled this weekend's Birmingham-Amritsar return flights via Vienna
12 April 2012

An airline on which passengers claimed they were forced to pay for refuelling has cancelled next weekend's services in and out of the UK.

The move by Austrian-registered Comtel Air comes as some UK passengers are still stranded abroad, while others are battling to get their money back after being "held to ransom" on the Tarmac at Vienna airport earlier this week.

Only one of the two Comtel flights from the Indian city of Amritsar to Birmingham via Vienna took off last weekend.

With passengers stuck in Amritsar, those that did take off said they had to raise £20,000 to fund the rest of the trip from Vienna to Birmingham.

They were stuck at Vienna for six hours and the flight that should have got back to Birmingham on Saturday only arrived on Tuesday morning.

A Birmingham Airport spokeswoman said Comtel had told the airport that this Saturday's and Sunday's Birmingham-Amritsar return flights via Vienna had been cancelled.

Passengers who booked for the Comtel flights as part of a package will be protected by the Air Travel Organisers' Licensing (Atol) scheme run by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). However, both the CAA and travel organisation Abta stressed that some of those who had booked flight-only deals may not be financially covered.

Comtel Air's director of passenger services Bhunpinder Kandra said: "I have heard what happened, it shouldn't have happened, and I will investigate why it happened. The people who had to pay the money will receive a refund."

Asked if the company was going bust, he said: "There is no chance of that. Comtel is a very strong company, 16 years in Vienna."

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We have been, and remain, in touch with the relevant authorities including the airline for clarification on how British nationals due to fly in the coming days will be affected. Our current advice to anyone affected is to contact their tour operator, travel agent or the airline for further information and about possible alternative arrangements. We would also advise that they monitor our travel advice for India for any updates."

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