Passengers Stuck Inside Plane For Hours As Freezing Temperature Jams Door

Passengers aboard a Hong Kong bound United Airlines plane were left stranded in freezing conditions for over 15 hours, after the aircraft developed a mechanical problem in Canada.

The long wait began Saturday and continued till Sunday, when the plane made an emergency landing at the Goose Bay Airport in Newfoundland, Canada, due to a flyer’s health condition. Upon arrival, the ailing passenger was taken to a hospital.

The aircraft, which took off at 3:05 p.m. (unchanged EST) from Newark, New Jersey, had 250 passengers on-board. It was ready to take off soon after, but was made to wait as one of the plane’s doors jammed in the cold.

According to passengers, they were disallowed to leave the plane as the airport did not have any customs officer at that time. Explaining the ordeal, professional wrestler Sonjay Dutt tweeted and asked help from the airline company.

Dutt said they ran short of food."It’s freezing, not safe for children and elderly. Please help @united," one of his several tweets read.

As the hours progressed, the temperature too dropped sharply, reaching -25 C at one point.

"I think since the time I boarded, I’ve been on this plane for around 17 hours. Over 12 of them grounded in -25 weather," another tweet read.

Dutt said they were brought snacks and water from Tim Hortons by airport officials on Sunday morning.

An alternate flight to bring back the flyers to Newark was sent later by United. The company has also apologized to passengers. "We apologize to our customers and our crew is doing everything possible to assist them during the delay," it said.