The pilot and crew were stuck in the elevator. The flight was delayed for many hours
An unusual incident caused chaos at the airport. Many passengers complained about not being able to reach their next flight on time.
Flight QR36 of the recently criticized Qatar Airways on the Birmingham – Doha route was delayed for almost 4 hours due to lack of crew. The pilot and cabin crew were stuck in the elevator. The on-site maintenance team was unable to help, and the trapped people waited for more than three hours for the local fire brigade to arrive. Due to the postponement of the departure, many passengers missed the opportunity to connect at the port of Doha.
Everyone was waiting for the crew who were stuck in the elevator
The plane was scheduled to take off on Tuesday, January 2, at 7:45 a.m., but on that day passengers had to wait until 11:45 a.m. for the plane to take off. The reason for the delay turned out to be surprising, to say the least. The pilot and crew, who should have arrived first, got stuck in the airport elevator. Trapped, they waited for help to arrive from 6 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Maintenance workers employed by the airport were available on site, but they were unable to repair this type of defect. The local fire brigade was called to the airport and freed Qatar Airways employees from the small room. “As our lift operator was unable to reactivate the system, West Midlands Fire Service removed part of the wall to allow crew to exit just before 9.30am,” an airport spokesman told BirminghamLive.
The passengers missed the next connections
According to simpleflying.com, after the announcement of a several-hour delay, chaos broke out in the check-in hall. Qatar Airways customers reported to the counter to have their next flights rescheduled. Hamad Airport in Doha is a huge transfer hub connecting Europe with Asia and Africa. The passengers were also not satisfied with the amount of food vouchers they received in exchange for their problems – the amount to be used was 8 pounds (less than PLN 40). Ultimately, the plane landed in Doha at 8:28 p.m. on the same day.
