Passengers aboard a Qatar Airways flight from Athens, Greece to Doha endured extreme heat for over three hours after the aircraft’s air conditioning system malfunctioned. Reports indicate that the technical failure caused passengers to sweat profusely, with some even removing their clothes to cope with the heat.
A video shared by sports massage therapist Garth Collins showed Damian Collins, a Muay Thai fighter on the flight, visibly sweating while passengers behind him tried to fan themselves and stay hydrated.
Garth expressed concern, stating, “Damian Collins, while they held on board @qatarairways flight QR204 for 3.5 hours with the doors closed, no air cooling, and zero sustenance, people were passing out, and panic ensued.”
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Garth also shared additional videos showing passengers struggling with the heat and attempting to cool themselves with inflight magazines. Eventually, passengers were allowed to disembark and return to the terminal building at Athens International Airport to await further instructions.
The delayed flight arrived in Doha around 10:30am on Tuesday, after originally being scheduled to land at 6:20pm on Monday.
A Qatar Airways spokesperson apologized for the delay, attributing it to a technical issue and stating, “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.”