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S7 Plane Offers “Flight From Hell” in Scorching Heat Due to Aircon Malfunction

Russians are tough, but not even they can withstand flying for 2 hours straight while scorching hot air or a freezing breeze blows through the aircon, making the air in the cabin practically unbreathable.
Passenger passes out on Siberia Airlines flight after aircon malfunction 9 photos
Photo: The Siberian Times via TheSun.co.uk
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It happened just recently, on a Siberia Airlines (or S7) flight from Novosibirsk to Ekaterinbug. Singer Vladimir Shakhrin was on board and he tells the local media, as cited by The Sun, that this was the worst possible experience he’s ever had on board a plane. From what he’s saying, he’s not exaggerating, either.

Trouble began even before the passengers boarded the packed Embraer 170-E70 plane. All were made to wait inside a bus with all the windows open, while temperatures dipped below -25C (-13F). If they were hoping things would get better on the plane, boy, were they wrong.

Boarding complete, the plane was still on the tarmac, when Shakhrin noticed that hot air was blowing through the aircon. He immediately called a flight attendant and asked for the problem to be solved. In a matter of minutes, all the other passengers were saying the same, since the air in the cabin had become so hot it was difficult to breathe.

“I even put my hand to (where the air conditioning was coming from) and it felt like boiling,” Shakhrin says. “It was 113-122F (45C or 50C). The worst thing was a smell like burning wires, when the insulation starts smelling because of heat. People were outraged because it felt dangerous. Passengers started demanding: ‘We are getting off now,’ ‘Stop the plane,’ ‘I don't want to fly, your plane is not okay’.”

One of the pilots came into the cabin to assure them that things would be ok once the plane got off the ground. He admitted that there was an issue with the aircon, but insisted that it wasn’t something that would make the flight a risk.

Shakhrin says the situation persisted throughout the flight: when the aircon wasn’t blowing scorching hot air, it would blow freezing air. Either way, it was a nightmare.

“It was scary because you understand that there is some fault in the system,” he says. ‘You're up in the air, and if there is a short or some sensor is not working, it is absolutely unclear what consequences that would have…”

Siberia Airlines says that the incident is under investigation. Another passenger on the same flight tells the local media that he’d flown with the same plane before – and it had the exact same problem.
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About the author: Elena Gorgan
Elena Gorgan profile photo

Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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