NEARLY 200 TUI passengers were forced to spend the night in a hotel lobby after their flight was delayed by 17 hours.

The holidaymakers who were due to land at Bournemouth Airport from Greece around midnight on Saturday instead spent the night trying to sleep on the floor of a hotel on the island of Rhodes after the flight was abruptly delayed.

Exhausted passengers said they bedded down using cushions in the lobby of the hotel. One family decided to remain at the airport terminal.

Flight TOM6625 was due to depart from Rhodes to Bournemouth at 9:55pm on Saturday and was scheduled to arrive at the Dorset airport at 12:05am.

But the outbound flight was over two hours late, and did not arrive at the Greek island until after 11pm.

Because the crew would have exceeded their permitted working hours, the flight was grounded shortly after at midnight, local time. It finally took off 17 hours late.

A spokesperson from Tui said: "We fully understand the frustration of customers travelling from Rhodes to Bournemouth on August 13 and we apologise for the inconvenience.

"Due to a technical issue requiring repair delaying the aircraft's outbound flight to Rhodes, crew were unfortunately then outside of their regulated maximum working hours to operate the inbound flight back to Bournemouth.

"Regrettably, we had to delay the flight overnight in Rhodes as a result.

"We communicated with customers throughout They were provided with an alternative rest location, welfare vouchers and a good will gesture.

"All customers safely returned to Bournemouth on 14th August."