[Watch] Qatar Airways Passengers Including Athletes Stuck For Over 3 Hours On Runway With No Air-Conditioning

New Delhi: Dozens of passengers endured extreme conditions for over three hours after a technical issue caused the air-conditioning to fail on a Qatar Airways plane in Greece. Passengers resorted to using wet wipes and fanning themselves while seated. Reportedly, some were forced to strip off their clothes, and others passed out due to the intense heat, News 18 reported.

The passengers, including dozens of athletes taking part in the IFMA World Muaythai Championships, struggled to keep cool aboard the Qatar Airways flight with closed doors and no air-conditioning. The flight, which was bound for the Qatari capital of Doha, was held on the runway in Athens for hours ahead of take-off, leaving the passengers in the sweltering heat.

Several videos from inside the flight have surfaced on the internet, showing the passengers struggling to cool themselves. South African sports therapist Garth Collins took to social media and dropped footage of the distressing incident. “Passengers were literally dehydrating and passing out on the plane,” he recalled further, sharing that they were offered a cup of water and a small soft drink, which was completely insufficient to rehydrate them, as quoted by the Daily Mail.

He also showed a clip of fighter Damian Collins, showing him sweating profusely. “Damian is a fit, conditioned athlete; imagine the stress and danger for any normal individual,” he said.

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