SCHIPHOL – Hundreds of travelers between the Netherlands and the Dutch Caribbean are facing major delays after problems with a leased aircraft disrupted several TUI flights to Curaçao and Bonaire.
According to reports from EUclaim, TUI flight OR367 from Amsterdam to Curaçao departed on Wednesday, May 21, more than three and a half hours later than scheduled. The flight was originally set to leave Schiphol Airport at 11:00 a.m., but eventually took off at 2:33 p.m., arriving in Curaçao at 6:43 p.m. local time.
The flight was operated not by TUI itself, but by a leased Airbus A330-200 from Spanish airline Wamos Air.
The delays quickly created operational problems for the return flight OR368 from Curaçao to Amsterdam. Because no replacement crew was reportedly available on the island, the return service could not depart according to schedule.
The Amsterdam-bound flight had originally been planned for Wednesday afternoon at 4:35 p.m. local time, but is now expected to arrive at Schiphol only early Friday morning, resulting in an estimated delay of approximately 24 hours.
According to EUclaim, TUI does not appear to be flying additional crew members to Curaçao to speed up the recovery operation, leaving many passengers stranded on the island longer than expected.
The disruption is also affecting the Thursday, May 22 rotation between Amsterdam, Bonaire and Curaçao.
Available flight information indicates that flight OR393 from Amsterdam is expected to depart with roughly a three-hour delay. There are also indications that TUI may decide to skip Bonaire entirely and operate directly to Curaçao in an attempt to reduce further disruptions.
Such a decision could shorten travel time for passengers whose final destination is Curaçao, but travelers heading to Bonaire would likely face additional inconvenience.
TUI normally operates multiple aircraft on the Amsterdam–Bonaire–Curaçao route. According to EUclaim, at least one aircraft currently appears to be temporarily unavailable, potentially impacting additional flights to the Caribbean in the coming days.
Under European passenger rights regulations, travelers arriving more than three hours late may qualify for compensation of up to €600 per passenger, depending on the circumstances. Airlines are also required to provide assistance including meals, drinks and hotel accommodations when necessary.