Ravellers had “passed out” after flight delays left them waiting for hours at Gatwick airport on Saturday, it is alleged.
Some passengers complained that they felt “unwell” and “unbearably hot” in the terminals at Gatwick as the UK remains in the throes of a blistering heat wave.
Among the chaos, a passenger claimed people passed out while waiting in the “boiling” terminals over the weekend.
“Dear @easyJet, has anyone seen the Gran Canaria cabin crew?! We’re waiting in a BOILING @Gatwick_Airport people pass out, hurry up. Thank you so much,” one person wrote on Twitter.
Others added: “@Gatwick_Airport please turn on some air conditioning at the gates, gate 52 is unbearably hot and we’re stuck here.”
“@Gatwick_Airport, can you turn on the air con at gate 53 North Terminal. I sat here for 40 long minutes and felt very unwell.
“Dear @Gatwick_Airport we are now 1.5 hours on the runway. Why didn’t you notify @easyJet of an ETA to take the plane off the runway. I understand you have staff shortages, but after the con-gate earlier in the terminal, the passengers of this flight are furious!”
“@Gatwick_Airport has so far spent five hours in our plane on the tarmac en route to Innsbruck. Fantastic pilot and crew really helped.”
The Standard approached Gatwick Airport and easyJet representatives for further comment.
An easyJet spokesperson said: “EasyJet experienced some disruption to its Gatwick flight program on Saturday due to a combination of issues affecting the operation, including delays in ground handling and airport coaching due to a shortage of airport staff, resulting in the delayed departure of some flights.
“While this is beyond our control, we would like to apologize to our customers for the inconvenience experienced.”
Saturday marked the start of the heat wave in the UK as Heathrow Airport and Kew Gardens, in west London, registered the highest temperature of 29.1C.
Temperatures could hit a record-breaking 41C early next week and the heat wave is expected to peak on Monday and Tuesday.
Holidaymakers have faced chaos at UK airports in recent weeks with delays, long queues and cancellations due to staff shortages.
It comes amid a spike in demand for overseas travel after two years of the Covid pandemic that hampered the travel industry and grounded flights.