Pilot blasts air conditioning to force passengers off delayed plane when they refused to get off due to pouring rain

Mr Ray was described the incident as "scary"
Dipankar Ray
Sophie Williams22 June 2018

A pilot resorted to blasting air conditioning on a delayed plane to force passengers off after they refused to leave.

Video footage shows the moment those on board an Air Asia flight in India were left arguing with crew members and coughing as the air conditioning is turned up to its maximum level.

The footage was captured by Indian Oil Corporation Executive Director Dipankar Ray on flight i5583 from Kolkata to Bagdogra.

He told NDTV that the flight was scheduled to depart at 9am and was delayed by 30 minutes.

However the delay then stretched to one-and-a-half hours. Mr Ray said that passengers were not given food or water and that the incident was "scary."

After the long wait, the flight's captain told passengers to de-board.

Mr Ray said: "When passengers refused to de-board due to heavy rains outside, the captain put the air conditioning on full blast to hound the passengers out. It created a scary scene as heavy fog was created inside the plane and it was very suffocating."

He claims that some passengers started being sick and children were crying.

In a statement to the Times of India, Air Asia India confirmed the delay.

"AirAsia India would like to confirm that flight i5583 from Kolkata to Bagdogra was delayed by 4.5 hours due to a technical requirement.

"AirAsia regrets the inconvenience caused to guests on account of this disruption and would like to reinstate that the airline always prioritises safety above all.

It added that passengers were not in danger as the air conditioned air circulated in the cabin was condensing.

"This is a normal occurrence on-board all aircraft when the air conditioning is operated in high humidity conditions."

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