Passengers on a British Airways flight from Dubai felt the heat when an air-conditioning fault grounded the plane on a day of record high temperatures.
Travellers were subjected to sweltering conditions on board the Boeing 787 plane while it remained at Dubai International Airport for about two hours due to a power failure that prevented cabin airflow and cooling systems from operating.
The aircraft was diverted to a cargo area of the airport while repairs were carried out, British newspaper The Independent reported.
The flight left Dubai for London after the malfunction was fixed.
“We thank our customers for their patience while we resolved a technical issue with the aircraft,” said a British Airways spokesperson in a statement shared to media.
“Our crew provided water to customers on board and worked hard to ensure our customers remained as comfortable as possible whilst we resolved the issue.”
The incident took place on Saturday, when temperatures in Dubai soared to 47ºC and exceeded 50ºC in other parts of the Emirates.
The mercury rose to 51.6ºC in the Sweihan area close to Al Ain, a record for the month of May in the UAE.
The previous record high of 50.4°C, also in Abu Dhabi emirate, was set the previous day.
