Romania’s state-operated airline Tarom canceled 10 flights that were scheduled to land or take off from the Henri Coandă Airport (Otopeni) on Monday morning, July 8. The situation caused chaos on Bucharest’s main airport, and transport minister Sorin Grindeanu asked the airline to take urgent action.
The company initially announced in a press release that only three flights to and from three destinations would be canceled. Shortly after, it said that the number of cancellations had increased.
Tarom notes that “each of these flights was canceled because a crew member of each aircraft was declared ‘unfit to fly.’ The individual decisions of the pilots were made in compliance with current regulations to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers and crew.”
The number of cancelations, however, has made some commentators argue that pilots are actually on strike.
The canceled flights so far are:
– ROT101/2 Otopeni – Cairo – Otopeni,
– ROT167/8 Otopeni – Beirut – Otopeni,
– ROT187/8 Otopeni – Amman – Otopeni,
– ROT701/2 Otopeni – Iași – Otopeni,
– ROT621/2 Otopeni – Oradea – Otopeni,
– ROT261/2 Otopeni – Istanbul – Otopeni,
– ROT231/2 Otopeni – Budapest – Otopeni,
– ROT301/2 Otopeni – Frankfurt – Otopeni,
– ROT361/2 Otopeni – Amsterdam – Otopeni,
– ROT381/2 Otopeni – Paris – Otopeni.
The RO415/6 Madrid (MAD) 08:10 flight is also canceled, although the company has not confirmed this. Passengers can check the live list of departures/arrivals at the Henri Coandă Airport (Otopeni) here.
The company is experiencing an unprecedented situation, and Tarom’s united teams have been working to find solutions and protect passengers since last night, the company said.
“The Commercial, Ticketing, and Call Center departments and some pilots and flight attendants are currently in operational mobilization, considering rerouting or other alternatives while ensuring necessary provisions for passengers at the airport. Additional personnel have already been allocated for these activities,” reads the press release.
The first flights were canceled shortly after midnight. They were supposed to depart between 12 and 1 AM for Cairo, Amman, and Beirut, but passengers were informed that several members of Tarom’s flight crews were unavailable for the flight, citing health issues. They were asked to wait for alternative solutions to reach their destinations. Many of the passengers had arrived at the airport hours earlier and remained there overnight, waiting for a solution.
The company also promised that the support team would directly contact passengers to provide detailed information regarding flight rescheduling, refunds, or other available options.
“Tarom is making every effort and taking necessary measures to minimize the impact this situation may have on the travel plans of affected passengers, who will be informed about the new flight arrangements,” the company stated.
Romania’s transport minister, Sorin Grindeanu, asked Tarom to take appropriate measures to prevent such cancellations.
“I requested the Tarom management to take urgent measures for the current situation. The management team […] has all the legal leverage to take the necessary administrative decisions to avoid such blockages and to prevent their recurrence. That is why, the managerial team must urgently come up with an efficient restructuring plan to ensure the operational capacity of Tarom. The focus should be on ensuring the availability of flight personnel and not on retaining individuals who do not contribute to the proper functioning of Tarom. I expect a specific and detailed public communication from the General Director of Tarom announcing the identified solutions,” he wrote on Facebook.
Due to the canceled flights, the Romanian delegation that will attend the NATO summit in Washington departed the country on a special military flight. Brigadier General Constantin Spînu, the spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, told News.ro that the Romanian delegation left on Monday morning on a C-27J Spartan aircraft to Paris. From there, the delegation, which includes the minister of defense, Angel Tîlvăr, and the minister of foreign affairs, Luminiţa Odobescu, will take a flight to the US.
(Photo source: Ukrphoto | Dreamstime.com)
