Boeing 737: Passengers terrified on flight fearing 'children will die' as temperature on plane reaches unbearable 52C

Passengers were left terrified on a Boeing 737 flight from Turkey to Germany on 6 June after the plane reached a sweltering 52C. The air-conditioning unit on the Mavi Gok Airlines Antalya-Muenster flight broke before take-off, leaving passengers terrified that their “children will not make it”.

The plane sat on the hot tarmac for nearly an hour, raising temperatures even higher. Dominik Janssen, from Leer in Lower Saxony, who was travelling with his family back home after a break in Turkey, told German media: “When we got on, we immediately noticed how hot it was in the plane.” His wife Nancy said she helped a five-month-old baby who she fanned to keep cool.

Dominik said: “The children were getting louder and louder, everyone's water was running out. The situation was very precarious. A father and a woman were scared to death for their children. The panic spread to everyone.”

According to the passengers, there was little help from the crew. A Turkish-speaking doctor addressed the crew with a dramatic appeal. Nancy said: “He said that if we take off now, the children will not survive.”

The pilot of Flight 4M413 eventually returned to the terminal at the airport. However, Dominik said that the “airline offered no help whatsoever”.

In a statement, the airline said: “The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew is our highest priority.” It also reportedly promised to work with the relevant authorities to prevent such incidents in the future.

NationalWorld has contacted Boeing for comment.