Hundreds of holidaymakers have been left stranded in Turkey - with many taking to sleeping on the streets - after a flight bound for Glasgow Airport suffered a technical fault.
Children were seen sleeping on suitcases covered in nothing but jackets after the passengers of the Thomas Cook flight 111 from Antalya Airport to Glasgow were allegedly taken off the aircraft and told to wait outside the airport.
It comes amid widespread fears the travel company could go bust and is reportedly in talks to increase the size of a rescue package to £1 billion.
READ MORE: Thomas Cook warns it could 'run out of money' and go bust
But the travel woes of passengers last night were due to a technical failure aboard an Airbus A321, which was due to fly from Antalya to Glasgow at 10.10pm on Friday.
James MacDonald, 40, who was celebrating his first wedding anniversary with wife, Sheree, in Turkey described the chaos.
"It's close to 24 hours in here for us," he exclusively told the Evening Times. "There were at least ten small children agitated and abandoned outside at 3am and they were still there at 8am.
Passengers first boarded the flight two hours after its scheduled departure, only to be then told by staff that engineers had been called onto the aircraft.
Mr MacDonald added: "Two ladies in wheelchairs sitting outside in 35-degree heat. I don't even know if there are toilets for them.
"You would get looked after better in jail."
Mr MacDonald has revealed he and his wife are still in the airport, despite Thomas Cook assurances that all passengers had been sorted with accommodation.
The pair have since booked a flight home with Jet2, saying they cannot rely on the promises of Thomas Cook to get them back to Scotland.
READ MORE: Edinburgh and Glasgow Airport amongst worst for flight delays in the UK
"My wife asked Thomas cook rep for some water and was handed an empty cup," he added. "We have slept on dead fly-ridden shelves on and off.
"Some people - kids and elderly - have hotels. We do not grudge them that one bit."
Another passenger, Zarqa Sattar, had finished a week-long holiday in Antalya with her husband when they were faced with the chaos last night.
"Kids were sleeping on suitcases with jackets over them," she said. "Everyone was on the ground outside because they removed us from inside the airport.
"I don't understand why we couldn't have stayed indoors."
"We stood outside the airport for seven hours, being told they were working on rooms but not much progress," Zarqa continued.
"My husband had to make arrangements for us as I was starting to become ill.
"After seven hours of no response from Thomas Cook, we had to take care of our own health."
READ MORE: Thomas Cook told to find £200m as it tries to stave off collapse
A spokesman for Thomas Cook said: "Due to a technical fault our flight back to Glasgow from Antalya is delayed. Engineers are working to get the aircraft serviceable as quickly as possible.
"Hotel accommodation has been arranged for passengers while they wait."
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