Air Slovakia said on Tuesday, January 19, that it expects staff members stranded in Albania – allegedly over a dispute with its business partner Albanian Airlines – to return to Slovakia on Wednesday, January 20.
Ten employees are reported to be awaiting resolution of the dispute at a hotel in the Albanian capital, Tirana, the TASR newswire wrote. Air Slovakia, whose aircraft and staff provide an air link between Tirana and Bologna, Italy, on behalf of Albanian Airlines, had wanted its staff to leave Albania on Tuesday but failed for technical reasons, said business manager Tomasz Zeglinski. He declined to elaborate.
Passengers on an Albanian Airlines service operated by Air Slovakia which had originally been scheduled to fly between from Albania left Bratislava Airport on Monday, January 18, on an Amsterdam Airlines plane after a forced one-day stopover in the Slovak capital. The Boeing 737, carrying 110 passengers, had landed in Bratislava on Sunday evening.
Albanian Airlines had rented the aeroplane and crew from Air Slovakia, the SITA newswire reported.
The Albanian air carrier said it is not familiar with the reasons why Bratislava Airport was selected for the unscheduled landing, but added that passengers on the flight had informed it that the crew, who it said had not been paid by Air Slovakia for four months, made the decision, TASR reported.
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
