Passengers reveal prolonged wait on idle Qatar Airways aircraft during sizzling Greek heatwave
Stuck on a static plane for over three hours, as per passenger Garth Collins' Instagram post, passengers endured a sweltering ordeal without air conditioning. Temperatures outside surpassed 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius), leading passengers to dehydrate and faint.
Greece has been dealing with a scorching heatwave for a week, causing popular sites like the Acropolis to close to the public.
The tragic demise of British TV personality Michael Mosley on the Greek island of Symi last Wednesday was due to a walk in high temperatures. This week, two other tourists vanished during separate hikes across the country, authorities revealed.
In a video posted by Collins, passengers can be seen standing up and fan-ing themselves and fellow passengers in the plane's aisles.
CNN reached out to Collins for additional comments.
Qatar Airways attributed the delay to a technical problem. In a statement to CNN, they apologized for the delay on flight QR204 from Athens to Doha on June 10, 2024, and admitted that ground maintenance teams worked to fix the issue.
Australian passenger Jennie Zeiher, along with her husband Joe, were on board, planning to fly to Melbourne, Australia from Doha. Zeiher expressed confusion about why passengers were allowed to board, describing the situation as horrendous.
Passengers resorted to removing their shirts to cope with the heat, with a few water cups distributed in the cabin. Zeiher informed CNN affiliate 7News that the flight attendants did their best under the circumstances but seemed uninformed about the situation.
Passengers eventually disembarked the plane, with Collins stating he was on board for around three and a half hours, and Zeiher for around four hours.
Zeiher told 7News that she received no information from Qatar Airways, so she rebooked her onward flight to Australia through Emirates.
Flight QR204 was scheduled to depart from Athens International Airport at 1:55 p.m. local time but didn't leave until 6:44 a.m. the next morning, landing at Doha's Hamad International Airport at 10:35 a.m. local time.
Qatar Airways informed CNN that all passengers were asked to leave the aircraft and were supported by their staff at Athens International Airport while the technical issue was resolved. The flight later departed, arriving in Doha at 10.39 local time on June 11, 2024, and they offered support to ensure smooth onward connections for the affected passengers.
Qatar Airways expressed their apologies and informed the passengers of their compensation entitlements in line with the applicable regulations. CNN reached out to Athens International Airport for comment.
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Despite the aviation-related incident, Jennie Zeiher opted for another flight to Melbourne through Emirates, demonstrating her resilience towards travel disruptions. In light of the sizzling heatwave, many tourists are reconsidering their aviation plans for summer travel.
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