A Ryanair Cabin Got So Hot Passengers Passengers Passed Out—One Teen Had Teen Had a Panic Attack Trying Not to Be Sick
Passengers on a Ryanair flight say things got pretty miserable after the plane sat on the tarmac without air conditioning.
Passengers on a Ryanair flight from Malta to Birmingham reportedly became sick after spending more than an hour inside an aircraft without working air conditioning. One 16-year-old passenger, Eva Gregory, said two people passed out, others vomited, and some passengers removed their tops as they waited to take off.
Flight FR7268 was scheduled to leave Malta on August 10, but a technical issue delayed the departure. Gregory, who was traveling with her mother and brother, said the delay had already started before they reached the plane. She claimed passengers spent about 30 minutes on a bus without air conditioning before being moved to another bus with limited cooling for another half hour.
Travelers then reportedly waited on the tarmac for about 20 minutes before boarding. Gregory said the air conditioning was still not working when passengers entered the aircraft.
Passengers Reportedly Became Ill While Waiting To Take Off
“When we boarded, it was immediately obvious the air conditioning was not on,” Gregory told Jam Press. “It was like walking into extreme heat.”
Gregory said passengers were left inside the aircraft for more than an hour. She claimed some began taking off their tops, while two people lost consciousness and others vomited.
Gregory said she also became nauseous and experienced a panic attack during the delay.
“I was experiencing the feeling of needing to throw up, but as I have a phobia of being sick, it gave me a panic attack,” she said.
The teenager was traveling with her mother, Angela, and brother, Samuel. She said she was especially concerned about elderly passengers who appeared to be struggling with the conditions.
Gregory also claimed passengers were not offered free bottles of water, including those experiencing medical problems. Footage she shared reportedly shows people standing in the cabin while crew members attend to passengers.
Despite her criticism of how the situation was handled, Gregory defended the cabin crew. She said crew members had tried to stop passengers from boarding until the air conditioning problem was fixed.
“The Ryanair cabin crew absolutely did their best,” Gregory said. “They were telling them not to let us onboard until the air conditioning was fixed.”
According to Gregory, other workers allowed passengers onto the aircraft anyway, leaving the cabin crew to deal with the situation once people were inside.
The air conditioning reportedly started working after the plane took off.
Ryanair Says The Flight Was Delayed By A Technical Issue
Ryanair confirmed that FR7268 was delayed before departure, describing the initial problem as a “minor technical issue.” The airline also said the flight was delayed further after a passenger became ill.
“Following an inspection of the aircraft by engineers, the aircraft was cleared to operate,” a Ryanair spokesperson said.
The flight eventually departed Malta at 7 p.m. local time, according to the airline. That put it around 90 minutes behind its scheduled departure.
Ryanair’s statement did not address Gregory’s specific claims that passengers passed out, vomited, removed their clothes, or were not provided with free water. Those details come from Gregory’s account of the incident.
Gregory said she wants the experience to be shared because she believes Ryanair should change how it handles passengers during lengthy delays.
“The whole situation makes me feel extremely angry,” she said. “I want the story to be shared and for Ryanair to fix its mistakes and stop valuing money over the passengers.”
The incident left passengers dealing with a long delay before the flight had even left the ground. While Ryanair said the aircraft was inspected and cleared to operate, Gregory’s account has raised questions about what happened during the time passengers spent waiting to depart.
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