'My holiday was ruined!' Wolverhampton woman was left in wheelchair on Birmingham Airport tarmac and missed flight

She checked in to her Ryanair flight and was given a wheelchair which she had requested due to suffering with her knee - which she is having replaced in November - alongside having rheumatoid arthritis, breathing problems and osteoporosis.

The 63-year-old made her way down to the boarding gate when it opened and was waiting with a member of airport staff for an ambulance driver to help her onto the plane - but, she said, the staff member never arrived.

Mary, who is from the Deansfield area of Wolverhampton, told the Express & Star: "Me and another lady went down to the boarding gate and the doors were open. It was freezing cold, everyone else was standing on the stairs.

"They opened the doors and everyone started going onto the plane. We were still sat there and the assistant guy kept ringing someone.

"They put us out on the tarmac, it was seven degrees, they came out and said 'we can’t find the ambulance driver'."

Mary said she was then told she had been marked as a "no-show" for the flight, which went ahead without her after her luggage was removed.

She added: "We were absolutely freezing, shivering to the bone. They carted us off the tarmac and dumped us into departure lounge.

"The other [wheelchair user] was in tears. [The airport staff] took us for some breakfast and they did pay for that because we were freezing.

"We were well looked after - after they abandoned us on the tarmac. It shouldn't have happened, it was absolutely disgusting."

Birmingham Airport then arranged for Mary to be taken to East Midlands Airport to board a 12pm flight to her destination, where she landed hours later than planned.

Mary said the late arrival caused her to miss her pre-booked taxi from Alicante Airport to her accommodation, along with the early check-in slot she had paid £160 for.

She told the Express & Star the experience has stopped her from travelling and explained she has already cancelled a holiday she had booked for next spring.

Mary added: "It ruined the whole holiday. I was going to Spain for a seven-day holiday next year and I paid a fair amount of it and that was flying from Birmingham Airport and I have cancelled it.

"I was in tears and I said to my son 'I can’t go on my own, I'm too scared.”

Birmingham Airport admitted "failings" and has apologised to Mary for her experience.

A spokeswoman said: "We are disappointed to hear of the service Ms Nicholls experienced as a result of failings between ourselves and our assisted travel service provider.

"Following this experience, we rebooked and paid for new flights to Alicante for Ms Nicholls.

"We will also look to reimburse the cost of any missed transfers. We fully accept that this does not cover Ms Nicholl’s experience and for which we apologise.”