Many passengers on a Qatar Airways flight in Greece were forced to endure extreme conditions for more than three hours when the plane’s air conditioning system malfunctioned.

The technical glitch left passengers suffering from extreme heat, forcing them to use wet wipes and fans to cool down. Some passengers reportedly took off their clothes while others fainted due to the intense temperatures.

The passengers included several athletes participating in the IFMA World Muaythai Championships. They suffered immense discomfort as the Doha-bound flight remained stranded on the runway in Athens with closed doors and no working air conditioning.

The pre-flight delay turned the plane into a kind of sauna, causing a lot of discomfort.

Several videos have emerged online showing the horrific conditions inside the plane. South African sports therapist Garth Collins shared footage of the incident on social media, describing the severe dehydration and loss of consciousness that occurred on the plane.

“Passengers were literally suffering from dehydration and were passing out on the plane,” he said. Collins also highlighted the airline’s inadequate response, saying passengers were only given a cup of water and a small soft drink, which was insufficient to reverse dehydration.

A video clip showed fighter Damian Collins sweating profusely. Garth Collins commented on the situation, saying “Damian is a fit, conditioned athlete; imagine the stress and danger to any normal person”.

After hours of inconvenience, passengers were finally allowed to return to the terminal building at Athens International Airport. However, their troubles did not end there as they faced long queues and no information about the situation from the airline.

Collins criticised Qatar Airways’ handling of the incident, saying “Qatar Airways’ handling of flight QR 204 from Athens to Doha was appalling. Passengers were trapped on the plane for 3.5 hours with doors locked and no air conditioning.”

The latest incident comes after a similar incident involving Mavi Gok Airlines earlier this month. Around 200 German tourists were left stranded on the runway at Turkey’s Antalya airport in extreme heat, where temperatures soared above 50 degrees Celsius.

Passengers were stranded on the plane for nearly an hour, highlighting the problem of inadequate response to technical glitches on flights.