Russian tourists traveling from Moscow to Antalya were stranded for ten hours inside a broken Pegasus Airlines aircraft while technicians attempted repairs on the airfield tarmac.
The flight was scheduled to depart from the Russian capital at 11:50 pm on September 28. Passengers reported that airline officials announced a new delay every hour while maintenance crews worked directly on the vehicle.
According to the Telegram channel Mash, the extended delay was caused by a sudden mechanical breakdown on the aircraft. Rather than towing the plane to a repair hangar, technicians decided to fix the issue on the airport apron, forcing travelers to remain waiting as work continued.
Airline staff offered passengers the choice to either wait on the apron for maintenance to finish or transfer to an alternative aircraft. Those who chose to switch planes had to collect their luggage, check their bags a second time, complete flight registration, and clear passport control again.
Repeated Passport Control
Passing through passport control twice requires travelers to exit the secure international airside area, return to the landside terminal, and re-enter through border screening. International aviation protocol mandates full security screening and document verification whenever passengers re-board a replacement flight.
Pegasus Airlines is a major Turkish low-cost carrier headquartered in Istanbul that operates scheduled flights between Russian cities and Mediterranean resort destinations. Antalya, situated on Turkey's southern coast along the Mediterranean Sea, is one of the premier holiday destinations for Russian tourists.
Apron repairs allow ground handling crews to conduct maintenance directly at the parking stand, avoiding the need to move an aircraft to a maintenance facility. However, on-site repairs on an active apron can result in prolonged operational delays if replacement parts or complex technical work are required.
Previous Flight Disruption
The incident follows another recent disruption for passengers traveling on routes connected to Russia. Earlier, travelers on a flight from Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia, to Moscow were left stranded at the departure airport without access to food or water.
During that earlier flight, the aircraft turned around in mid-air approximately one hour before its scheduled landing in Moscow. The plane flew back to Georgia, leaving passengers waiting inside the airport terminal after returning to their point of departure.
