Shocking video footage shows passengers stranded for three hours on an air-conditioned plane in Greece during a scorching heatwave.
The video, taken inside a Qatar Airways flight at Athens airport four days ago, shows sweaty and frustrated passengers fanning themselves while complaining about the heat.
A group of people can be seen gathered around a woman fanning her while she is slumped in her seat looking sick.
One man was so hot that he took off his shirt while others ranted on the phone to friends and family about the unbearable heat inside the plane or tried to call for help.
Qatar Airways has said the delay to the flight due to land in Doha, Qatar, was due to a “technical issue”.
The person who posted the video claims that passengers were “dehydrating and passing out on the plane” and were not being “fed or hydrated.”
A man and a woman desperately try to fan another passenger who seemed to be feeling unwell
The woman was surrounded by fellow travelers who tried to help her calm down.
Passengers appeared to be using paper bags provided for motion sickness to fan the woman.
They said Qatar Airways’ handling of the situation was “atrocious at best” and even when they were finally allowed to disembark the plane, they had to queue without “any communication from the company.”
Another video shows hundreds of people waiting inside the airport at check-in with their luggage and only two staff members visible at the counter.
The full caption read: ‘@qatarairways how about we help the stranded passengers of flight QR204 who are stranded in Athens?
‘Their handling of the situation is atrocious at best. Passengers were stranded on the plane for 3 and a half hours with the doors closed and no air conditioning. Passengers were literally dehydrated and fainting on the plane.
‘They were finally allowed to get off the plane and are now sitting in a queue with no communication from the company about what the situation is. Passengers have connecting flights from Doha that will not take place.
‘There is one person available at the Qatar check-in counter who helps one person at a time. Passengers are not being fed or hydrated.
Another video shows hundreds of people waiting inside the airport at check-in with their luggage.
Despite the crowd of waiting passengers, only two workers were seen working behind the check-in counter.
A Qatar Airways spokesperson said: “Qatar Airways sincerely apologizes for the delay to passengers traveling 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 our staff at Athens International Airport supported them while ground maintenance teams worked to resolve the issue.
‘Later, the flight departed from ATH and arrived at DOH at 10.39 local time on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, where we extended our full support to all affected passengers upon arrival to ensure smooth connections to their final destination.
‘We consider the safety and comfort of our passengers and crew as our top priority at all times, and have offered our apologies to every passenger affected by this unforeseen disruption and inconvenience caused. Furthermore, passengers have been informed of their rights to compensation in accordance with applicable regulations.’
A view of the Parthenon temple as the Acropolis hill archaeological site is closed to visitors due to a heat wave that hit Athens on June 12.
Tourists sit on the stairs of the ancient Acropolis hill during a hot day in Athens, Greece
Authorities in Greece were forced to close the Acropolis in Athens during the hottest hours of Wednesday as the first heat wave of the season swept the country, prompting school closures and health warnings as temperatures reached 43 degrees.
Meteorologists have noted that this is the first heat wave recorded in Greece, which in Greece means temperatures above 38 degrees Celsius for at least three days.
“This heat wave will go down in history,” meteorologist Panos Giannopoulos said on state television ERT. “In the 20th century we never had a heat wave before June 19. We’ve had several in the 21st century, but none before June 15,” he said.
The Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection has warned of a very high risk of fires in the Attica region, around Athens.
An employee closes the exit gate of the Acropolis Hill archaeological site, which is temporarily closed due to a heat wave sweeping the country.
A woman receives help outside the Acropolis hill archaeological site after feeling unwell
Members of the Hellenic Red Cross hand out bottles of water to tourists visiting the Acropolis
Schools remained closed in several regions of the country on Wednesday and Thursday, including the capital, while the Ministry of Labor recommended public sector employees work from home.
The ministry also ordered a pause from noon to 5 p.m. for outdoor work, including food delivery.
The Greek Red Cross said it had distributed about 12,000 bottles of water in the center of the capital and on the Acropolis.
And in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second city, teachers and students said annual school exams were being held in difficult conditions.