On Wednesday, passengers had screamed and cried when the Boeing 747 had to turn round and make an emergency landing when its wing jammed.
Dean Jones, who was travelling on the flight, said: “We were circling over the desert with fuel streaming out. People were anxious. Then we came back to Riyadh very fast and very low over the city”.
He added: “We hit the runway with a massive bang.”
Following the terrifying ordeal passengers had to make their own way to accommodation and were told to return to the airport at 3am for a flight on the same plane. It eventually took off at 8.45am on Thursday morning, only to encounter further problems.
After about half an hour the wing flap problem recurred. Jones revealed that by this point, ‘women were crying’ and ‘people were being sick’.
In both instances the plane had to circle over the desert dumping 20 tons of fuel to ensure it was light enough to land safely.
Traumatised and angry, the 70 passengers refused to leave the airplane on the second occasion and called for an official to explain what was happening.
“Nobody came to speak to us” said the sit-in organiser, who remained anonymous.
One photograph shows one member of BA staff surrounded by angry customers.
BA apologised following the ordeal and promised a replacement plane for this morning. Passengers were to be offered compensation, expenses and complimentary tickets. Hotel accommodation was also arranged.