Wizz Air London-bound flight 'takes off without passengers' who were 'held like captives' on board airport bus in 30-hour ordeal

A passenger onboard the flight described the delays following an "appalling travel experience with Wizz Air that resulted in significant emotional, physical, and financial hardship" for him.

He was initially denied access to his boarding pass upon the Wizz Air leg of his journey, being forced to exit the transit zone to obtain the pass in person, which would see him have to pay 395 SAR (£77.52) for a Saudi Arabian visa.

The passenger said that this was "completely avoidable had Wizz Air clearly communicated the process in advance".

This was the first of several failures that he endured, together with several travellers trying to journey to London.

He explained: "Alongside a large group of similarly stranded passengers, I was told to wait at Gate 5 for further instructions.

"Hours passed without any communication. There was no assistance, no updates, no food, no water, and nowhere to rest.

"Repeated complaints were met with indifference and empty promises. We were left abandoned in a state of uncertainty and growing anxiety."

Passengers were finally handed a small bottle of water each after "intense pressure"; however, they still had no updates on their flight status, having now been awake and standing for nearly eight hours.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

• Ryanair passengers 'thrown against the ceiling' as huge turbulence leaves nine injured and crew in tears
• Tui flight forced to divert after chaos erupts when mum and daughter duo 'swore at staff demanding to get off in mid-air'
• Britons warned of travel chaos at three UK airports as major European airline cancels more than 1,400 flights

At 5.30am, the incoming aircraft from London arrived, and after further waiting, travellers were given their boarding passes.

Their flight was now scheduled for 7.50am, a delay of over six hours.

After boarding a shuttle bus to the aircraft, passengers were forced to stay inside of it for over an hour without any explanation.

The passenger said: "We were held there like captives, sleep-deprived, dehydrated, and mentally exhausted.

"Several passengers, including myself, experienced panic attacks and requested air or assistance, all of which were ignored.

"Then, without warning, the bus turned around and drove us back to the terminal with still no communication from anyone, not the bus driver, not Wizz Air staff, not airport officials.

"Shortly after being returned to the terminal, we watched in disbelief as our flight took off without us."

Wizz Air confirmed their flight had been cancelled at 9am.

Two hours later, passengers were informed they could finally leave the airport, where they would be taken to a hotel.

Upon arrival, they were told no food or water would be available after over 12 hours of "complete neglect".

Following a second delay of two hours for their next flight, the travellers were finally in the air after an ordeal that lasted "over 30 hours".

The passenger said the experience caused "immense physical and emotional trauma, financial losses (including the forced visa expense), and a complete erosion of trust in Wizz Air's ability to provide even the most basic standard of care.

"Being left without proper communication, forced to remain in buses for over an hour, and then navigating immigration issues in a foreign country is completely unacceptable."

A Wizz Air spokesperson told GB News: "Wizz Air confirms that flight W9 5606 from Jeddah to London Gatwick on May 27, 2025, had to be cancelled and rescheduled to May 28 due to a required change in aircraft. In accordance with the Regulation 261/2004 of the European Parliament and Council of the European Union, affected passengers were offered accommodation.

"Passengers can also claim reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses up to a reasonable amount via Wizz Air's official website. Passengers were also notified of their compensation options due to the cancellation, and will be updated via email or SMS.

"We apologise for the inconvenience this may have caused some passengers and stress that the safety of our passengers, crew and aircraft are our utmost priority.

"We always advise passengers to book directly with us, either through the app or on the website, to receive the most up-to-date travel information. When passengers book through third-party providers, we may not be able to contact customers directly via phone or email."