Passenger Says Full-Blast Air-Con Used to 'Hound' People Off Plane

Passengers on board an AirAsia flight from Kolkata to Bagdogra in India on June 20 said they were blasted with the air-con to force them off the plane, which had been delayed on the tarmac for over an hour.

Video posted on social media shows agitated passengers shouting and coughing as a fog-like substance blows from the air vents.

According to Dipankar Ray, who posted this video, the situation occurred after the plane had been delayed on the runway for over an hour. AirAsia crew then announced that due to a technical error, passengers were required to deboard the plane and return to the terminal. When passengers began to protest and refused to leave due to heavy rain outside, Ray said the air conditioning was put on full-blast to “hound passengers out”. They were taken to the terminal and finally departed four hours later on the same aircraft.

AirAsia released a statement on the issue confirming that the flight had been delayed for 4.5 hours. In relation to the air-conditioning, AirAsia said that the fog-like consistency was a “normal occurrence” when operating in high-humidity conditions and that it was “no danger” to the passengers. Credit: Dipanker Ray via Storyful