Passengers claim they were stuck on a 'greenhouse' plane before being 'stranded' in an airport for hours on their return to Manchester on Monday night (June 5).
The Jet2 flight from Tenerife was due to leave at around 4.30pm on Monday, flying to Manchester Airport. However, after boarding, one traveller claimed children were left in tears due to the rising heat as the plane remained sat on the tarmac.
He likened the plane to a 'greenhouse' where they sat for almost two hours before disembarking and going back inside the airport. Crowds of people were pictured sitting in the terminal until around 4am - when they were offered accommodation for the night and flown back the following day.
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Matthew Mallon was on holiday with his partner, Stephanie Beech, and two sons, aged three and twelve. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, he described the situation as 'chaos' as children on board burst into tears due to the heat.
"The air con was broken," he said. "It was like a greenhouse on there. The pilot kept coming on the radio saying something was broken on the engine and they were trying to fix it.
"The temperature was rising on the plane. Everyone was getting agitated and all the children were crying. People were shouting and they wouldn't let us off. We were on the plane for almost two hours then they let us off."
He claims they were 'stranded' in the airport until 4am when they were put in a hotel and that the ordeal has ruined his holiday.
"It was a nightmare from start to finish," he added. "At one point, I had to ask for a doctor because my son was overheating. He was bright red. We had to strip his clothes off.
"It's had a knock-on effect on everything. We are meant to be back in work and the children are meant to be back in school. It's all been a mess really."
Jet2 later confirmed that the flight was delayed overnight due to 'unforeseen operational reasons' and apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers.
A spokesperson for the airline said: "Due to unforeseen operational reasons, flight LS918 from Tenerife to Manchester was unfortunately delayed until today. Our teams have been working hard to look after customers, including arranging hotel accommodation for them.
"We can confirm that the flight has departed from Tenerife this afternoon, and we would like to sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
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