Passengers on a Ryanair flight from Malta to Birmingham experienced sweltering conditions and reported that some individuals passed out and threw up while waiting to depart, according to accounts from passengers. The flight, FR7268, was scheduled to leave Malta at 5:40 p.m. on August 10 but did not take off until around 7 p.m. Initially, Ryanair cited a minor technical issue for the delay, which was compounded by a passenger falling ill onboard.
During the delay, passengers were reportedly transported to the aircraft via bus, with a 16-year-old passenger, Eva Gregory, describing the experience as difficult. She stated that her group spent approximately 30 minutes on a bus lacking air conditioning, followed by another 30 minutes on a second bus with limited air conditioning. Ryanair, however, indicated that passengers were taken to the plane by bus and spent an additional ten minutes in a vehicle where air conditioning was available.
Gregory further alleged that passengers waited on the tarmac in high heat for about 20 minutes before boarding. Once on the plane, she claimed the air conditioning was not functioning, leading to increasingly agitated passengers. "When we boarded, it was immediately obvious the air conditioning was not on," Gregory told NeedToKnow. "It was like walking into extreme heat. We got on the plane but were sitting and waiting in the heat with no air conditioning at all for over an hour."
She reported witnessing two passengers lose consciousness and observed others feeling sick. Gregory herself experienced nausea and a panic attack due to the situation. "They [the staff] didn't even offer free bottles of water to anyone, even those experiencing medical emergencies," she added.
According to Ryanair, the crew opened the onboard bars, allowing passengers to purchase drinks and snacks. Gregory also mentioned that Ryanair cabin crew attempted to prevent passengers from boarding until the air conditioning issue was resolved, but other staff proceeded with boarding. The air conditioning reportedly began to function gradually after the aircraft took off.
Footage shared online by Gregory appeared to show passengers in the cabin as crew attended to those on board. A Ryanair spokesman confirmed the delay was due to a technical issue and a passenger becoming ill, adding that engineers cleared the aircraft to fly. The flight departed Malta at 7 p.m. local time.