British athletes are left STRANDED in Budapest after record-breaking World Championships performance – with UK flight chaos meaning stars don’t know when they will return home
British athletes remain STRANDED in Budapest after record-breaking World Cup performance – with flight chaos in Britain meaning stars don’t know when they will return home
- Almost 1,000 flights to and from Great Britain were canceled due to a technical malfunction
- This affected British athletes competing in the World Championships
- They have returned to their hotel in Budapest and don’t know when they can get home
British athletes stranded in Budapest after the World Championships in Athletics.
A group of about 40 athletes and staff from UK Athletics (UKA) were forced to return to their hotel on Monday after the flight chaos that saw nearly 1,000 flights to and from Britain grounded or canceled due to a breakdown in the country’s air traffic control. system.
Speaking on Tuesday, Transport Secretary Mark Harper revealed that a disruption on this scale had not happened in a decade, claiming it would take “several days to … get everyone where they should be” after thousands of British holidaymakers also disrupted their travel plans.
Britain’s National Air Traffic Service announced that the technical glitch had been ‘identified and rectified’ but warned that there is still work to be done to get back to normal flying as they try to handle the affected flights.
The delay in returning home comes after British athletes put on their joint best performance at the World Championships ahead of next summer’s Olympics in Paris.
British athletes are stranded in Budapest after the World Championships in Athletics ended, with an air traffic control failure canceling nearly 1,000 flights to and from Britain (photo – travel chaos at Heathrow Airport)
Team GB earned a total of 10 medals, placing them seventh on the medal table, while Katarina Johnson-Thompson (pictured) and Josh Kerr took memorable gold.
Team GB earned a total of 10 medals, placing them seventh on the medal table, while Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Josh Kerr took memorable gold.
Some athletes are now traveling directly from Budapest to Zurich for Thursday’s Diamond League meeting, while UKA is working to get other athletes back home but don’t yet know when they will return.
In the meantime, The Times report members of the Irish team have already been told to wait until Friday for a flight, with some opting to find an alternative way home.
BBC commentator and three-time Olympic medalist Steve Backley has attempted to travel back from Hungary by train, with the former javelin world record holder detailing his journeys in a series of videos on social media.
The Eurostar is also fully booked through Wednesday, while Brexit has caused complications for car rental companies in a nightmare situation.
UK Athletics declined to comment when contacted Mailsport.
Kerr delivered a stunning performance to win the men’s 1500m world title in Budapest
UKA is working to get its athletes home, but don’t yet know when they can return (Photo: Britain’s men’s and women’s relay teams in the 4x400m after taking bronze)