Passengers travelling on a Qantas flight from Singapore to London were left stranded in Athens after the aircraft had to be diverted because of a medical emergency onboard.
The incident happened on 3 January, when a passenger fell ill and required life-saving treatment.
As reported by 9 News, a Qantas spokesperson said: “Our flight from Singapore to London made an unscheduled landing at Athens International Airport in Greece after a passenger became critically unwell on the flight.
“Crew and passengers provided life-saving first aid onboard and, on the advice of medical experts, the flight diverted so the passenger could receive emergency medical treatment.”
The Qantas airline spokesperson finished: “We’re working to get the remainder of the passengers on their way as quickly as possible, but given Athens is an airport we don’t usually operate to this may take some time.”
A passenger tweeted about the incident and posted a video of people stuck at Athens airport, saying: “None of the charging ports worked on the plane so after a 24 hour flight people can’t contact family, friends and work.”
However, passenger Chris Penny was also onboard the Qantas service and responded: “I was on this flight - charging, food and drink available.”
Mr Penny added: “Athens isn’t a Qantas port so couldn’t get us back in the air under the duty window.
“Qantas put everyone up in great hotel, full meals, allowance for incidentals. They saved someone’s life and took care of all passengers.”
Passengers were offered accommodation in Athens overnight, before being transported to London on a different flight the next morning.
A Qantas spokesperson said: “Our flight from Singapore to London made an unscheduled landing at Athens International Airport in Greece after a passenger became critically unwell on the flight. Crew and passengers provided life-saving first aid onboard and, on the advice of medical experts, the flight diverted so the passenger could receive emergency medical treatment. “As Athens is an airport we don’t usually service, we were unable to get the flight back underway before the crew reached their duty limits. Passengers were provided with hotel rooms and meals, with their flight to London departing Athens on Wednesday afternoon. We understand this delay would have been incredibly frustrating for passengers and we thank them for their understanding.”
