Horror as sweltering passengers strip off clothes while stuck on plane for hours in 100-degree heat
These flyers were left sweating it without even making it off the ground.
Overheated passengers were filmed stripping off sweat-soaked clothes while trapped on a Qatar Airways plane for more than three hours without air conditioning — before just being taken back into the airport.
Nearly 50 fighters who’d been at the IFMA World Muaythai Championships were among those trapped on the packed jet awaiting takeoff Monday from Athens, Greece, when temps soared toward 100 degrees.
“Passengers were literally dehydrating and passing out on the plane,” passenger Garth Collins told news agency Jam Press.
Collins, a South African sports therapist, was among those who shared videos of the horror near-flight, while accusing the airline of handling the situation “terribly.”
One traveler can be seen stripping off his shirt, with beads of sweat clinging to his bare chest, as others look on, fanning themselves with the airline safety packets while pacing the aisles.
Collins said that they were “left stranded on the plane for 3.5 hours with doors closed and no air con” before being allowed to disembark and return to Athens International Airport.
The situation, however, did not improve even once they were inside the cool, air-conditioned airport, Collins said.
“They were finally allowed off the plane and are now sitting in a queue with no communication from the company as to what the situation is,” he complained.
“Passengers have connecting flights out of Doha that will not be made.”
According to Collins, there was only one person available at the Qatar Airways check-in desk to help the struggling passengers.
Collins slammed the airline for only providing passengers a cup of water and a small soft drink after the harrowing ordeal, calling it “completely insufficient to rehydrate an individual after the enforced sauna on the plane.”
He also captured a video of Muay Thai fighter Damian Collins, who was visiting Greece for the IFMA World Championship, with loads of sweat dripping from his body.
“Damian is a fit, conditioned athlete, imagine the stress and danger for any normal individual,” Collins said.
Boxer Thannachai Sidsongpeenong said the whole horrifying situation left him in “shock” but afterward felt a sense of gratitude that he was okay.
“Now I feel that I was lucky to get through that situation,” he said.
The delayed flight arrived in Doha around 10:30 a.m. local time Tuesday after it was scheduled to land at 6:20 p.m. the previous day.
The Post has reached out to Qatar Airways for comment.
