Air passengers pass the night in Slovakia

TIRANA, Jan. 18 – An Albanian Airlines Boeing 737-300, registration OM-ASD performing flight LV-226 from Tirana (Albania) to Bologna (Italy) with 110 passengers, diverted to Bratislava (Slovakia) way off the planned route. The airplane landed safely in Bratislava at 18:40L (17:40Z).
The airplane was still in Bratislava the following morning. The aircraft had departed Tirana at 16:31L (15:31Z) with a delay of 91 minutes and was estimated to arrive in Bologna at 18:01L (17:01Z). A direct flight from Tirana to Bratislava would last about 90 minutes airborne (105 minutes scheduled gate to gate); actual airborne time was 129 minutes.
The 737/300 flight moved to Bratislava finding its passengers by surprise.
The local media first reported that the move was made by its pilots who had not got their payment.
The next day Albanian Airlines came out with its spokesman saying it was still unclear of that surprise move, adding that they had hired the plane from a Slovakian company.
The passengers passed the night in a hotel.
The airline official said they were still waiting for a formal response from the Slovakian company and that they would also ask for a back payment and refund from that Slovakian company, the same move that could be made by the plane passengers.