More than 300 passengers were stranded on board an Emirates Airbus A380 on the tarmac of an airport in China for more than 10 hours without working air conditioning, according to reports.
Flight EK302 was approaching Shanghai from Dubai when severe thunderstorms forced the crew to divert to nearby Hangzhou on July 22. The Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger airliner, landed safely at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport at about 9pm local time. By road, the airport is only about 110 miles from Shanghai Pudong International Airport, where the flight was due to land.
Passengers Stuck on Tarmac for Hours
What should have been a minor disruption turned into a nightmare, with 373 passengers stuck on board the plane while it was parked at the airport until about 7.30am the following morning. According to the South China Morning Post, logistical issues at the airport and border control delays held up the process of allowing passengers to disembark.
Passengers have complained to local media about the sweltering conditions inside the cabin, where they claim air conditioning was not working. Others criticised the airline for giving them limited information during the ordeal.
Emirates Apologises
Emirates has reportedly apologised to its affected customers and said passengers were provided with meals, hotels and shuttle buses to Shanghai. The South China Morning Post reported that Emirates crew had planned to wait for weather conditions at Shanghai Pudong International Airport to improve before continuing the journey. Because it was believed that the airplane would only be in Hangzhou for a brief period, immigration procedures were not immediately arranged to process the 373 passengers.
By the time passengers and crew were finally allowed to leave the aircraft, they had spent more than 17 hours on board – around seven hours in the air and another 10-and-a-half hours parked on the tarmac. The delay pushed the crew beyond its permitted flight duty period, capped at 14 hours for a multi-pilot crew. The Mirror has contacted Emirates for further information.
