Passenger Plane Delayed 3 Hours in Heatwave...Passengers Suffer Dehydration and Fainting in Scorching Cabin

Qatar Airways Passenger Plane Delayed Takeoff at Athens Airport
Greece Struggles with Heatwave... Tourist Sites and Schools Closed

A Qatar Airways passenger plane preparing to take off in Greece, hit by an early heatwave, remained on the runway for more than three hours due to a technical defect. As a result, passengers had to endure nearly 40-degree Celsius heat.

On the 14th (local time), US CNN and other media reported that on the 10th, Qatar Airways flight QR204, preparing to depart from Athens, Greece to Qatar, experienced a delay in takeoff due to a technical defect in the air conditioning system.

On that day, Greece had already issued an emergency weather alert due to concerns about the heatwave. Because of this, passengers on the Qatar Airways flight had to remain inside the stationary plane for several hours.

One passenger shared the situation on social media (SNS). He said, “Passengers were trapped inside the plane with the doors closed and no air conditioning for 3 hours and 30 minutes,” and posted a photo showing himself shirtless and drenched in sweat.

Qatar Airways airplane [Image source=Yonhap News]

Flight attendants provided a cup of water and soft drinks to passengers exhausted from the heat, but it was insufficient to replenish fluids. Many passengers showed signs of dehydration, and one female passenger even fainted on board and received emergency treatment.

Eventually, passengers disembarked and returned to the Athens International Airport terminal building to await further instructions. One passenger said, “I don’t understand why boarding was allowed in the first place,” adding, “It was truly terrible.”

The airport explained that the flight could not take off due to an unexpected technical problem that occurred suddenly.

Qatar Airways issued a statement saying, “We sincerely apologize to passengers for the delay.” They added that support was expanded to ensure smooth connections to final destinations for all passengers, and that passengers were informed about compensation policies.

According to the flight tracking site FlightRadar24, the delayed flight was scheduled to take off at 1:55 PM local time but was ultimately able to depart for Doha at 6:44 AM the next day.

On the 13th, Greece closed major ancient tourist sites in Athens and also shut down elementary schools and kindergartens. This measure was taken as the heatwave continued for three days, with winds from North Africa raising temperatures to 43 degrees Celsius.