Tui flight suffers delay after airport runs out of de-icer

The incident on November 22 left passengers stranded as the airport scrambled to address the unexpected depletion of its de-icing supplies.

Heavy snowfall swept across Devon on Thursday, November 21, causing widespread disruption to schools and transport networks.

Tui was forced to arrange for a replacement aircraft and crew to be brought in from Gatwick Airport

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The severe weather conditions created exceptional circumstances at Exeter Airport, where staff were forced to use approximately two weeks’ worth of de-icing fluid on just two aircraft.

The unprecedented usage of de-icer left the airport critically low on supplies for the following day’s operations.

Both buses and trains struggled to cope with the icy conditions, while many schools in the area remained closed not only on Thursday but also the following day.

To resolve the situation, Tui arranged for a replacement aircraft and crew to be brought in from Gatwick Airport.

A passenger on the affected flight shared their experience on the Exeter Airport Spotting Facebook page.

The passenger said: “As a result, a plane and crew were brought from Gatwick to Exeter to fly out to Tenerife and then back to Exeter.

“We finally landed in Exeter almost eight hours late.”

Despite the significant delay, the passenger praised the airline’s handling of the situation, stating: “I have to say Tui and the pilot and crew from Gatwick were all amazing.”

A spokesman for Exeter Airport emphasised that health and safety remained their top priority throughout the incident.

They said: “The weather was so severe last Thursday that we used around two weeks’ worth of de-icer on just two aircraft, which is exceptional.”

The airport confirmed that while they were left understocked on Friday, they have since replenished their supplies.