TUI has confirmed its delayed TOM193 flight from Cancun to Manchester finally took off on Thursday morning more than two days after its scheduled departure time.

Initially, the flight had been due to depart on Monday evening, but it was delayed after the Boeing 787-900 developed a fault.

While this was being repaired, further damage was caused, and a new part had to be sent for.

The airline informed 345 passengers that the flight would depart at 23:00 on Wednesday.

However, TUI decided ‘in an abundance of caution and with the safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew in mind’ to push back the flight departure time again to 06:00 (local time) on Thursday.

Customers returned to an all-inclusive hotel for the night and were also given vouchers for food and drink at the airport, said TUI.

“We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience caused and thank them for their patience,” TUI said.

“We are pleased to say that flight TOM193 departed today at 06:00 local time. The flight had been due to depart at 23:00 on 17 May but in an abundance of caution, and with the safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew in mind, some final checks were made on the aircraft prior to departure.”

Posting on Travel Gossip’s Facebook group, travel agents criticised TUI for failing to update their customers about the situation.

One wrote: “Info from TUI is very sparse.”

Another posted: “TUI are providing no updates.”

Agents also said that some of their clients had not been put up in all-inclusive hotels, despite what TUI had said. Some clients were taken to the NH Cancun hotel at the airport instead.