MORE than 5,000 passengers stranded after the collapse of EUjet are waiting to hear how they will get home.

The airline suspended flights on Tuesday after parent company PlaneStation went into administration.

Rival airline companies have been offering to fly home to the UK passengers stranded by the collapse of EUjet.

Low fare carriers easyJet and Monarch Scheduled are said to be charging from £25 to fly back some of the holidaymakers thought to be stuck abroad.

EUjet's 200 staff are expected to find out if they will lose their jobs in the next few days.

No-one from PlaneStation attended a press briefing today. It was left to EUjet’s Commercial Director Stuart McGoldrick to explain the situation.

He said: "At present we have 5,411 passengers in the middle of their journeys, and because EUjet is now in administration, we are not allowed to spend any money to get them home.

"However, the airline industry is a close-knit one, and there are reciprocal arrangements with other companies, to get people back.

"We are negotiating with other airlines, and as far as I know the people that were waiting for flights this morning and yesterday have got home another way."

More than 100,000 more people have had their holidays ruined by cancelled flights.

Denise Clift, from Folkestone, was one of a group of 12 people, due to fly to Palma in Majorca, on Tuesday.

She said: "We got here in plenty of time and checked in, then about 20 minutes before we were due to board, we were told there was a delay to our plane.

"Next thing we were told to come back at 3pm, and when we did, we were told there would be no more flights today, and we will be contacted tomorrow.

"Obviously we’re really disappointed, and we have paid out for a villa that we can’t get to."

Passengers were told that anyone who had booked on a credit card would get a refund, because of the airline’s policy not to draw funds until after the flight.

Those who paid by debit card, cheque or cash might not be as lucky.

Mr McGoldrick said: "Less than half a percent of our business came on debit or cash payments, so most people will be refunded, but I can’t answer for those who did not use credit cards."

He said he was "unhappy and disappointed" that the airline had had to cease trading, but was optimistic that there would be a passenger service from Manston again in the future.

He stressed: "Obviously this has come as a great disappointment to us, especially as we were just heading into our first full summer season, and we announced new winter schedules only a month ago. But I am hopeful this won’t be the end for the airport.

"This is a great airport to fly to, and we have had over 450,000 passengers in ten months which is something to be proud of.

"The service was very popular with the people of Kent and South East London and I would hope that someone would see this as a perfect opportunity to step in."

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