Passengers compelled to strip after being caught on airplane with no air conditioning
Sweltering passengers stuck on a plane for three hours in Greece were forced to strip off their clothes as some passed out amid soaring temperatures yesterday.
The passengers, including dozens of athletes taking part in the IFMA World Muaythai Championships, claim they were left on the Qatar Airways flight with no air conditioning.
The plane, bound for the Qatari capital of Doha, was held on the tarmac in Athens amid 34 degrees C weather ahead of take-off when the air conditioning system reportedly encountered a technical fault.
Uncomfortable footage shows suffering travellers peeling off their clothes while covered in beads of sweat, as other passengers fanned the face of a fellow customer who appeared to have passed out in their seat.
Passengers attempt to revive a fellow customer who fainted aboard the plane
A man fans the face of a fellow passenger who fainted
Muai Thai fighter Damian Collins shows beads of sweat dripping from his body aboard the Qatar Airways flight
South African sports therapist Garth Collins shared several videos of the incident on social media, including a clip of Damian Collins (pictured) dripping sweat
The grounded Qatar Airways flight is seen in Athens airport
The passengers, including dozens of athletes taking part in the IFMA World Muaythai Championships, claim they were left on the Qatar Airways flight with no air conditioning
The passengers were eventually allowed to disembark the aircraft to return to the terminal building at Athens International Airport and await further instructions – but not until some had reportedly fainted from the heat.
South African sports therapist Garth Collins shared several videos of the incident on social media.
He claimed: ‘Passengers were left stranded on the plane for 3.5 hours with doors closed and no air con.
‘Passengers were literally dehydrating and passing out on the plane… (some) have connecting flights out of Doha that will not be made.’
He added: ‘Passengers were eventually given a cup of water and small soft drink, completely insufficient to rehydrate an individual after the enforced sauna on the plane.’
He also shared a clip of fighter Damian Collins showing the sweat dripping from his body.
Garth said: ‘Damian is a fit, conditioned athlete, imagine the stress and danger for any normal individual.’
Fighter Damian, who also comes from South Africa, was visiting Greece for the IFMA World Championship.
According to reports, 49 members of Thailand’s muay thai team and and a handful of Thai reporters were also onboard the flight.
Boxer Thannachai Sidsongpeenong said: ‘I was in shock.
‘Now I feel that I was lucky to get through the situation.’
Local reports said the delayed flight arrived in Doha at around 10.30am today – nearly 28 hours after the original scheduled landing time of 6:20pm yesterday.
Passengers react amid the soaring temperatures
Passengers react as other customers begin fainting amid the sauna like conditions
The air conditioning system on board the plane reportedly encountered a technical fault
A member of the emergency services is seen boarding the plane in Athens
A statement given to MailOnline by a Qatar Airways spokesperson said: ‘Qatar Airways sincerely apologises for the delay to passengers travelling on flight QR204 from Athens (ATH) to Doha (DOH) on Monday 10 June 2024, which was due to a technical issue.
‘As a result, all passengers were asked to disembark the aircraft and were supported by our staff at Athens International Airport while ground maintenance teams worked to resolve the issue. The flight later departed from ATH, arriving in DOH at 10.39 local time on Tuesday 11 June 2024, where we extended our full support to all affected passengers upon arrival to ensure smooth onward connections to their final destination.
‘We regard the safety and comfort of our passengers and crew as our highest priority at all times, and have offered our apologies to each passenger affected by this unforeseen disruption and the inconvenience caused. Additionally, passengers have been informed of their compensation entitlements in line with the applicable regulations.’
Air conditioning aboard commercial aircraft is designed to keep the cabin at a comfortable temperature of roughly 18-22 degrees C during a flight, most of which is spent cruising at around 35,000ft.
The system typically works by taking hot air generated by the plane’s engines and cooling it down using the freezing air temperature at this high altitude, before circulating it back through the cabin.
But this requires the main engines to be powered, which when a plane is grounded on the runway or terminal is usually not the case as the captain will turn the turbines off so as not to use excess fuel.
In this instance, an auxiliary power unit can run the air conditioning system but at reduced efficiency.
Meanwhile, in hot conditions, an aircraft will soak up the heat from the sun beating down as well as the heat radiating back off the tarmac, creating a sauna effect inside the cabin, similar to a car with the windows closed on a summer’s day.
