Sunexpress aircraft at Frankfurt Airport: Passengers stranded without air conditioning in the heat

Sunexpress responded on Monday afternoon with a statement to those affected. "Was die Fluggäste an Bord unseres Fluges XQ147 von Frankfurt nach Antalya am 21. Juni erlebt haben, tut uns aufrichtig Leid," the statement read. The company said it was currently contacting all affected passengers "zu ihrem Befinden und ob sie gegebenenfalls weitere Unterstützung benötigen."

Airline's Response

The company also announced an internal review. "Wir prüfen derzeit den gesamten Ablauf gründlich und ziehen daraus die notwendigen Konsequenzen," the airline added.

The responsible supervisory authority also stepped in. As a spokesperson for the Hessian Ministry of Economics confirmed to Hessischer Rundfunk (hr), the aviation authority had prepared a report on the incident. It would be classified as a "besonderes Vorkommnis."

Aviation Authority Classifies Case as "Occurrence of Special Interest"

This brings the event into the focus of the flight supervisory authority. The classification as a "besonderes Vorkommnis" means that the case will be formally documented and examined for possible violations of safety and operational regulations.

According to information available so far, the waiting time on board lasted more than an hour. How long the aircraft remained on the ground overall before it was finally able to depart for Antalya initially remained unclear.

Travelers told Hessischer Rundfunk about an increasingly stressful atmosphere inside the cabin. With rising temperatures and insufficient ventilation, the situation had become almost unbearable for many passengers.

Passenger Accounts

The incident raises questions about ground handling procedures and the chain of responses between the airline, ground personnel, and airport operator. In such cases, ground power supply is usually crucial – it provides, among other things, the energy for the air conditioning system on a stationary aircraft.

So far, neither the airline nor the airport operating company Fraport has provided a detailed explanation as to why the air conditioning on board the affected Boeing did not function for such a long period and why passengers were not let off the aircraft in time.

Frankfurt Airport is Germany's largest airport and a hub for numerous holiday flights heading to the Mediterranean. Particularly during the summer months, high temperatures meet high passenger volumes there – a circumstance that puts the robustness of ground processes to the test.

Background: Frankfurt as a Summer Hub

Sunexpress is a joint venture between Lufthansa and the Turkish airline Turkish Airlines and operates numerous flights from Germany to destinations including many in Turkey.

Passengers affected by the incident can contact the company directly, according to the airline. The aviation authority in Hesse announced that it would continue to examine the matter.