Passengers endure extreme heat on Air France flight amid European heatwave
A mother with her two children had to endure extreme heat while waiting to board flight.
Image: Screenshot / Instagram
A recent Instagram post has brought to light a harrowing experience on an Air France flight from Paris to Toronto on August 13, 2025, where passengers, including a family with young children, endured dangerously high cabin temperatures and confusing instructions, all while an extreme heatwave gripped Europe.
The passenger, travelling with his young children and wife, described the incident as "dangerous and unacceptable".
The Instagram clip also showed his wife sitting on the ground with their two children, who were clearly unhappy and crying.
The family, among the first to board due to travelling with an infant and a two-year-old, found the cabin "extremely hot" with no functioning air-conditioning.
They were initially informed that the air-conditioning would become operational once the engines started. However, this proved not to be the case.
The outside temperature in Paris at the time was 32°C, and the passenger noted the cabin felt at least as hot, "likely hotter".
Over the next 40 minutes, as boarding continued, the captain announced that the air conditioning was not working and that the crew was attempting to resolve the issue.
The family made efforts to keep their toddler comfortable by removing most of his clothing and ensuring he stayed hydrated, while their infant cried from discomfort.
Within this period, the family was "drenched in sweat".
The situation was compounded by inaudible announcements, repeated departure delays, and even a reported loss of power on the aircraft at one point.
As time progressed, passengers became "visibly distressed," with hundreds resorting to fanning themselves with safety cards.
Confusion escalated when the crew initially instructed everyone to "sit down, buckle up, and be quiet as we are taking off right away," only to immediately reverse this instruction, telling passengers to remove their seatbelts.
This conflicting guidance added to the stress caused by the oppressive heat.
The passenger also reported that his wife was yelled at by staff members for trying to stand up to rock their screaming infant, despite the recent instruction for passengers to remove seatbelts.
Concern for the children's well-being was so high that a nurse onboard expressed worry and assisted the family in trying to cool the children down by soaking clothes in water.
The children's "bright red cheeks" were noted as a "clear sign of heat distress".
This incident occurred on a day when extreme heat was breaking temperature records across Europe, according to early measurements.
On August 13, 2025, the same day as the flight, "The Guardian" reported that south-west France had seen records broken on the Monday in several cities, with temperatures in the region being "often remarkable, even unprecedented, maximum temperatures," and 12°C above the norm for recent decades.
Indeed, 40% of a sample of weather stations in south-west France recorded temperatures above 40°C on that Monday.
This summer, like others recently, has been "exceptional in terms of extreme heat around the world," and it was "another extreme heatwave hitting Europe".
In response to the incident, Air France provided a statement, which the passenger shared on the last slide of his Instagram post.
Air France stated: "Due to a technical incident affecting ground handling, flight AF386 originally scheduled for August 13 2025, between Paris and Toronto has been postponed to the day after. Our airport staff were fully mobilised to support and assist customers by offering them overnight accommodation. We regret the inconvenience caused by this situation and reiterate that the safety of our customers and crew members is our absolute priority."
Air France's response to the incident.
Image: Screenshot / Instagram
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