Pilots have called for an enquiry after XL Airways planes were flown home empty when the airline became insolvent, leaving the government to charter other planes to fly out to rescue its stranded passengers.
The British Airline Pilots Association, the pilots union, has demanded an inquiry into the affair, The Daily Telegraph reports. It says that XL never even considered bringing its stranded passengers home. A spokesman said:'The aircraft could have brought back around 4,000 people.'
Because XL had leased all of its aircraft, they reverted to the owners immediately after the holiday airline became insolvent, the newspaper said. It added that the Department for Transport refused to provide the financial guarantees that would have made it possible for the passenger flights to take place. |
