Qatar Airways says it regrets delays its passengers experienced on a flight from Athens to Doha on Monday.
Passengers onboard QR204 were left scared and angry after their flight was delayed in extreme heat, and at one point smoke was seen coming from one of the aircraft’s engines.
One of the passengers onboard was Jodie Grocock, an employee of 7 News.
She told the media outlet that her and husband saw “billowing smoke” coming from part of the aircraft before departure.
“They started the plane, and it stopped straight away. They then started it again, and it stopped straight away,” Grocock told 7NEWS.
“I actually lost count of how many times they did this, but they did it over a period of about two hours.
“They had no drinks on the plane. They had a little baby who was just about passing out. It’s the most disgusting thing I’ve seen.
“After two hours, the captain made an announcement that there was a technical issue with some equipment.”
Grocock said there were no toilets and no air conditioning onboard the flight which was sitting on the tarmac on a 35 degree day.
“We were dripping. You could not stop the sweating and people were getting agitated. It was ridiculous,” she said.
Qatar Airways told Traveltalk it regrets the delay to passengers travelling on flight QR204 which it says was due to a technical issue.
“As a result, all passengers were asked to disembark the aircraft and were supported by our staff at Athens International Airport while maintenance teams worked to resolve the issue.
“The flight later departed from ATH and arrived in DOH at 10.30 local time on Tuesday 11 June 2024.
“The safety of our passengers and crew remains our highest priority and we apologise for any inconvenience caused by this delay. All passengers were assisted upon arrival into DOH to ensure smooth onward connections to their final destination,” the airline said.
