Man Utd issue official apology after fans left stranded at airport before Porto clash

Manchester United have apologised to fans who missed Thursday night's game in Porto due to a cancelled flight organised by the club's official travel partner.

Supporters endured a lengthy delay at Manchester Airport and then sat on the tarmac for hours before being told that they would not be leaving.

The AlbaStar flight, which was arranged by Sportsbreaks solely for the purpose of shipping United fans to Portugal, was originally scheduled to take off shortly before 8am (BST) on Thursday morning.

Time started to look tight for the 8pm kick-off when the departure was pushed back to 2.30pm due to the plane breaking down in Rome prior to arriving in Manchester. After finally boarding the plane, giddy fans, some of whom had paid £500 per person, were told after another long wait that there were no landing slots available in Porto to get them there in time for the match.

It meant around 180 supporters were denied the chance to watch United at Estadio do Dragao, and the club have taken action.

Their statement read: "Manchester United is very sorry for the disappointment experienced by the impacted fans. They will receive a full refund from our travel partner Sportsbreaks, and as a thank you for their continued support a complimentary ticket for our Europa League home game against Bodo/Glimt."

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