Holidaymakers swelter in 52C heat on Boeing plane after air conditioning failure – as doctor begs pilot to turn back warning ‘children will die’

Terrified holidaymakers feared for their safety on board a plane after being trapped in a cabin that reached a sweltering 52ºC.

The air conditioning on the Mavi Gok Airlines Antalya-Münster flight, a Boeing 737-800, from Turkey to Germany on June 6 broke down before the plane took off, leaving passengers terrified that their “children would not make it.”

The plane remained on the hot tarmac for almost an hour, raising the temperature even further.

Dominik Janssen, from Leer in Lower Saxony, who was traveling back home with his family after a break in Turkey, told German media: “When we boarded, we immediately noticed how warm it was in the plane.”

His wife Nancy said she was helping a five-month-old baby, who she fanned in an attempt to keep the child cool.

Dominik said, “The kids were getting louder and everyone was running out of water. The situation was very precarious.

‘A father and a woman were terrified for their children. The panic spread to everyone.”

According to the passengers, there was little help from the crew. Instead, flight preparations continued and the Boeing rolled towards the runway.

A Turkish-speaking doctor addressed the crew in a dramatic appeal, with Nancy saying, “He said if we leave now, the children won’t survive.”

The pilot of flight 4M413 eventually returned to the airport terminal, but the situation there also hardly improved.

Dominik said: “The airline did not provide any assistance.”

Reportedly, they didn’t even distribute water.

In a statement, the airline said: “The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew is our top priority.”

It also reportedly promised to cooperate with relevant authorities to prevent such incidents in the future.

MailOnline has contacted Boeing for comment.