Airline Passengers Not Given Safety Masks On Smoke-Filled Flight, Suffer 'Panic Attacks'

Passengers have criticized Spanish low-cost airline Vueling for the way its staff dealt with an evacuation process after a flight from Malaga to Barcelona made an emergency landing Friday due to smoke in the aircraft.

Smoke was noticed in the aircraft about 20 minutes before the landing. Passengers said no safety masks were handed out and at one point, the staff told them to "cover your nostrils with your hands and lower your head to your legs."

Though the flight landed safely, the evacuation was delayed as the emergency chute did not remain still due to the strong winds. Finally, extra personnel were brought in to hold the chute down following which all the passengers were evacuated safely. Some passengers also helped in holding the chute so the co-travelers could get off safely.

“Several people suffered panic attacks, especially when the plane had landed, emergency ramps were not activated and there was a high concentration of smoke in the cabin which made it difficult to breathe," Javier Calderón, a passenger, told local media. He added that they were very nervous and weren’t informed about what was going on. Calderón said two Ryanair staff, who were traveling on the same flight, helped the Vueling crew in the evacuation.

A video of the incident posted on social media showed smoke-filled cabin with passengers sitting still in their seats. Another video showed the passengers sliding down the chutes one at a time.

In a statement, the airline said, "Vueling is investigating the incident with the competent authorities to determine the causes. All customers were evacuated safely."