Holiday Flight Turns Back Mid-Air Following Tunisia Attack

Following Fridays tragic events, a flight packed with passengers flying to Tunisia dramatically turned back mid-air.

The plane was on its way from Brussels to Enfidha in north-eastern Tunisia, which is the airport closest to Sousse where at least 27 people have been killed in a shooting.

The Mirror reports:

Jetairfly flight TB5017, a Belgian passenger jet, was over Sardinia when it performed a u-turn and started heading back.

The airline confirmed via its Twitter account that change of plan was “due to the current terrorist attack in Tunisia”.

The majority of the victims of the mass shooting are suspected to be tourists.

Tour operator Thomas Cook operates a number of holidays to Sousse but says it does not use the hotels affected.

The company is continuing to monitor the situation and take advice from the Foreign Office about travel to Tunisia.

A statement reads: “Thomas Cook is aware of a tragic incident which occurred earlier today in Port el Kantaoui, Tunisia. ”

“We can confirm that the hotels targeted are not offered by Thomas Cook, and that none of our customers or staff were in residence at the time.

“However, we do currently have customers staying in other parts of the resort, and our experienced teams on the ground are continuing to offer every support to them and their families at this difficult time.

“Our customers’ welfare remains our primary concern, and we are liaising closely with our overseas team and the FCO. We are continuing to monitor the situation, and will provide further updates as appropriate.”

The latest Foreign Office guidance advises against all travel to number of areas in the North African country.

See the full list here.