A normal Ryanair flight from Budapest to Edinburgh became a “flight from hell” when Shaun Pinkerton and three other passengers collapsed on Friday.
According to Pinkerton, passengers began to faint about an hour into the three-hour flight, when a 17-year old collapsed and had to receive CPR. Another passenger soon followed, and 27-year old Pinkerton was the third person aboard the flight to faint, in addition to one more after him.
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“Everyone was panicking and we still don’t really know what happened,” he said. “It makes you not want to fly again.
Cabin crew responded by using oxygen tanks to perform CPR on the fallen passengers. Pinkerton noted, “I was knocked out and needed an oxygen mask. Then I went into shock and was totally shaking.”
Pinkerton blames the aircraft for the incident and believes he and the other three passengers are owed compensation, stating “There was something seriously wrong with that flight, folk were worrying there wasn’t enough oxygen. I don’t know why they didn’t divert the plane to land sooner.”
Edinburgh Airport confirmed that an emergency first aid request was made by the flight crew and that a team of medical staff was on hand to meet the aircraft when it landed. The airport denies that the aircraft was at fault for the fainting spells.
“The crew of this flight from Budapest to Edinburgh (31 Jan) called ahead to request medical assistance on landing after two customers became ill onboard,” a Ryanair spokesperson stated. “The aircraft landed normally and these customers were met by medics for further treatment.”
The incident and Edinburgh Airport’s response left Pinkerton traumatized. Pinkerton is due to travel to Madrid and Poland in the next few months; however, he is now hesitant to do so.
“I don’t want to step foot on a plane ever again. It was like something out of a movie.”
