Cape Verde holidaymakers stuck on tropical island Boa Vista over Christmas after dust cloud made it impossible to fly home
Families trapped as safety fears and low visibility ground planes
HOLIDAYMAKERS, including a couple desperate to celebrate their engagement with family, are stuck on the tropical island of Boa Vista, Cape Verde, after a dust cloud made it impossible for them to fly home.
Passengers due to fly back to the UK since Christmas Day are still stranded on the island because a Saharan dust cloud has limited visibility.
Loved-up couple Nathan Stacey, 22, and Danielle Gibson, 23, who got engaged on their trip to the tropical paradise, have been unable to return home and celebrate their news with family.
The couple have joined other passengers due to fly out on a Thomson flight, at Boa Vista Airport each day only to be told planes are grounded.
Nathan told the : “We were meant to fly on Christmas Day. We went to the airport, for a few hours it said cancelled. There were no reps around.
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He continued: “We got taken back to the hotel, we were told we would be flying back the next day.
“We were waiting for nine hours and told the flight would be cancelled again.
“We have been told to come back to the airport every day at 9am.
“I am running out of clean clothes and toiletries, there are no shops or anything around here.
“Yesterday morning they cut off the wifi, so we couldn’t get in touch with family members to let them know we were still here.
“We got engaged while we were on holiday. Our family had planned celebratory drinks with champagne, now it has gone to waste.
“A lot of people here had plans to meet back with their children on Christmas Day.”
Are you or your family stuck in Cape Verde? Contact [email protected] or call 02077824360
Ellice Leslie, 19, is on holiday in the resort with her family who are anxious to return home.
She said: "We were meant to be one of the groups flying home Christmas Day on the Gatwick flight but are still here due to not being able to fly home because of this awful sand storm that is blocking out the sun and making planes unable to land."
Ellice, travelling with her grandparents, said their medication will run out soon, while in the UK their dog-sitter cannot look after the pooch for much longer.
The teenage holidaymaker said tensions were running high as families are waiting and wondering when the dust cloud will lift.
"The dust is just in the air and making it hard to breath, especially for people such as my grandad who has chest problems anyway," she said.
"It also blocks out the sun so much you can look directly at the sun without any problems and it just looks like a dim light.
"We have been given no information on when we will be going home which is worrying everyone because we all have plans and commitments on the upcoming week.
"We've been told not to bother packing by the reps because even they have no idea what's going on."
Shona Ballantyne, who flew out for a romantic break with partner Rob Shriane, was also due to fly to Manchester from Boa Vista on Christmas Day.
She now faces missing out on celebrating New Year's Eve with her family in Hamilton, Glasgow, because of the delays.
"It's a beautiful island but there's nothing to do outside the resort," she said.
"People have plans and have to go back to work. People are stressing out.
"We've had to rearrange animal care as our dogs are with a dog sitter."
Shona, who has a dog walking business, said other passengers had run out of medication and been forced to pay for medical care.
Another fellow holidaymaker had all their clothes stolen from their balcony.
Shona added: "If we wanted to be here for 10 or 11 nights that's what we would have booked.
"Some of the media reports are making out we are stuck in a tropical paradise - it's not the Caribbean. There really isn't anything to do."
She said she had been told Thomson was looking at whether they could be transferred to other islands by boat or smaller planes, but transferring luggage could be an issue.
"I'm sure people wouldn't mind their luggage flying home later - I'm happy to leave mine," she said.
Tensions are said to be building at the island resort, with hundreds of Brits believed to be stranded with no idea when they will be able to get home.
Another couple, due to fly out of Boa Vista on Christmas Day, said they are extremely worried about the impact to their online vape store - with their absence made worse by the poor internet connection on the island.
Ian Eastwood said: "We came on holiday up to and over Christmas, which is a quiet time for us, however the period leading up to New Year is one of our busiest with New Year's resolutions to aid.
"We are now getting emails from hundreds of dissatisfied customers chasing their now long overdue orders, which we are unable to give them a definite answer to.
"This is costing us a lot of business and affecting out reputation, which no insurance will cover."
Ian said the airline should have contingency plans in place as short periods of disruption caused by dust clouds are common.
He added: "The nickname of this island is 'no stress' which is said and seen everywhere. We are trying to remove the 'no' from our bracelets!"
Another holidaymaker said he had spotted police in his hotel, who arrived the day after the first cancelled flight.
"I'm not sure why [police are there], there has been increased tension generally," said the man, who asked to remain anonymous.
"Guests are being kept on in the rooms and it's basically business as usual, except for having to be up and packed every morning to see if we're flying."
"The dust was really bad so people have been coughing a lot, but there has been nothing advisory from the reps for people with asthma or young children.
"It's also carried a lot of insects over which is quite unpleasant."
Holidaymaker Scott Kempin from Loughborough said: "It is sunny but you cant see the sun! Its like sunbathing in fog!"
He said reps had been keeping guests updated, but there was nothing they can do as visibility at the airport remains very poor.
Accommodation arrangements have been made for those stranded.
A spokesman for Thomson said: “As a precautionary measure due to poor visibility and weather conditions we have taken the decision to delay landing into Boa Vista and land safely into SID airport on the nearby island of Sal.
“Customers who were due to travel to Boa Vista are being looked after at all-inclusive accommodation in Sal.
“We recognise the inconvenience this may cause, but the safety of our customers and crew is primary concern.
“Our dedicated resort teams in Cape Verde are working with the relevant authorities and hoteliers to ensure everyone is looked after and kept updated with the latest information and advice whilst we monitor the situation.
"Customers who were due to depart from Boa Vista are currently being looked after at their all-inclusive accommodation. We are continuing to closely monitor the situation in Boa Vista to ensure customers can return home safely at the earliest convenience.
"Customers affected that were due to depart to Boa Vista are being kept up to date with the latest information and can contact us for more information regarding their flight."
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