No AC, Ryanair passengers strip, vomit, collapse as aircraft turns air fryer

Passengers on a Ryanair flight from Malta to the UK said they were stuck in a hot cabin for more than an hour without air conditioning. One flyer claimed that a few people on board passed out due to the sweltering heat.Ryanair said the flight was initially delayed because of a technical snag and was subsequently delayed further after a passenger became ill. (File photo: Reuters)Passengers on a flight from Malta to the UK allegedly stripped off clothing, vomited and passed out after being trapped for more than an hour inside a sweltering aircraft without air conditioning.Ryanair flight FR7268 was scheduled to leave Malta for Birmingham on August 10, but a technical issue delayed the plane on the tarmac and turned the pre-flight wait into a sauna with wings, according to those on board.For 16-year-old flyer Eva Gregory, the ordeal began before she even reached the aircraft. Travellers allegedly spent about 30 minutes inside a bus without air conditioning before being moved to another poorly ventilated bus for another half-hour."When we boarded, it was immediately obvious the air conditioning was not on," Gregory told Jam Press, as quoted by the New York Post. “It was like walking into extreme heat.” According to one flyer, technicians were still trying to fix the AC during boarding. Passengers were then left on the aircraft for more than an hour as the cabin grew increasingly hot. The heat reportedly left people "extremely agitated", with some undressing in an attempt to cope."People were taking their tops off because of the heat," Gregory said. She alleged that two people fainted while others vomited. Gregory said she began feeling sick herself and suffered a panic attack because she has a phobia of vomiting.She also claimed cabin crew did not offer free bottles of water, including to passengers experiencing medical problems.The air conditioning reportedly began working once the aircraft was airborne.Ryanair said the flight, scheduled to take off at 5:40 am, was initially delayed because of a minor technical snag and was subsequently delayed further after a passenger became ill onboard."Following an inspection of the aircraft by engineers, the aircraft was cleared to operate," a Ryanair spokesperson told the New York Post. The airline said the flight eventually departed Malta at 7 pm local time.For an airline famous for making passengers pay extra for almost everything, turning the cabin into a complimentary sauna may be one perk travellers could happily do without."I want the story to be shared and for Ryanair to fix its mistakes and stop valuing money over the passengers," Gregory said.The incident is another unwelcome addition to the list of bizarre and alarming episodes involving Ryanair flights this summer.On July 10, a Ryanair flight from Greece to Germany suffered a fan-blade failure in its right engine. Debris reportedly struck the fuselage and shattered a cabin window, and a passenger was partially sucked toward the opening before fellow flyers, including his wife, pulled him back.- EndsPublished By: Devika BhattacharyaPublished On: Aug 18, 2026 08:39 IST