Media: Romanian consul to Lisbon, recalled over handling of Portugal stranded tourists

Alina Dociu has been recalled from her post as Romania’s consul to Lisbon over how the situation of several Romanian tourists stranded in Portugal was handled, according to government sources quoted by Agerpres. Thirty-five Romanian tourists have been blocked in Lisbon since Saturday, August 26. They were returning from a holiday in Madeira and were flying back to Bucharest through Lisbon. TAP Portugal, the airline carrying them, first rescheduled the flight for Sunday night, but this flight was also canceled. The tourists were offered another flight, scheduled for today, August 28, during the afternoon. One travel agency servicing the tourists from Portugal says the airline offered no explanation as to why the flights were canceled. If this Monday flight gets canceled as well, prime minister Mihai Tudose promised a Tarom flight will be sent to Lisbon to collect the Romanian travelers and bring them home, according government sources quoted by Mediafax. A stranded tourist shared on Facebook a post saying that the consul to Lisbon advised them to thrust themselves in front of the TAP counter so that they would be rebooked on a different flight. The Romanian Embassy to Portugal said it was following the situation and was in permanent contact with the tourists, according to the Foreign Affairs Ministry. editor@romania-insider.com