Passengers strip on Qatar Airways flight after AC stops working in sweltering heat. Video

The Qatar Airways jet was packed with passengers and devoid of air conditioning.

Passengers aboard a Qatar Airways flight endured a harrowing ordeal on Monday, trapped on the tarmac in Athens, Greece, for over three hours without air conditioning as temperatures soared toward 38 degrees Celsius. Among the overheated travellers were nearly 50 fighters who had attended the IFMA World Muaythai Championships.

The Qatar Airways jet, packed with passengers and devoid of air conditioning, became a stifling trap. Passengers were left stranded on the plane for 3.5 hours with doors closed and no air conditioner.

"Passengers were literally dehydrating and passing out on the plane," recounted Garth Collins, a South African sports therapist, who shared footage of the distressing incident with Jam Press. In one video, a passenger is seen stripping off his shirt, sweat glistening on his chest, while others desperately fan themselves with safety packets and pace the aisles in a bid to stay cool.

Summer Travel Chaos: While Qatar Airways Passengers were left stranded on the Boeing 777-3DZ(ER) plane (A7-BAL) for 3.5 hours with doors closed and no air conditioning at Athens International Airport on 10 June, in a second case, almost 200 tourists from Germany found themselves… pic.twitter.com/3sMQVCrnJy

— FL360aero (@fl360aero) June 13, 2024

"They were finally allowed off the plane and are now sitting in a queue with no communication from the company as to what the situation is," Collins said. The lack of information compounded the passengers' frustration, especially for those with connecting flights in Doha.

Adding to the chaos, only one Qatar Airways representative was available to assist the throngs of distressed passengers. Collins criticised the airline's response, noting that after the "enforced sauna" on the plane, the meagre provision of "a cup of water and a small soft drink" was grossly inadequate for rehydration.

The flight finally arrived in Doha around 10:30 am local time Tuesday after it was scheduled to land at 6:20 pm the previous day.

Just two weeks back, passengers of an Air India flight to San Francisco, US, endured an excruciating delay of 24 hours, exacerbated by an eight-hour ordeal without air-conditioning on the flight forcing them to take refuge on the floors of Delhi airport. Amidst Delhi’s sweltering heatwave, with temperatures soaring to record highs, the situation quickly escalated as several passengers, among the 200, fainted.