Jetstar debacle: Passengers trapped on plane for more than seven hours

A Jetstar flight from Bangkok has finally landed in Melbourne after a horror ordeal which saw passengers stranded on the tarmac in Alice Springs for seven hours.

Flight JQ30 left Thailand for Melbourne at 9.30pm local time but was diverted to Alice Springs when a passenger suffered a suspected stroke.

The plane then developed a mechanical fault and a replacement plane needed to be flown in. But because Alice Springs isn’t an international airport it doesn’t have customs, so more than 200 passengers were kept on the plane on the tarmac for more than seven hours with no in-flight entertainment and limited food.

Press PLAY below to hear what one passenger found “just ridiculous” about the ordeal

“The main issue was that we were told every 30 minutes ‘Oh the flight has taken off from Melbourne’, when it hadn’t until 6pm that day,” Zaiyana Karim, one of the passengers onboard, told Ross and Russel.

“It was just ridiculous that we were … being told lies.”

Today Show reporter Christine Ahern says those onboard say there was a “lack of information” provided and air conditioning was limited.

Press PLAY below to hear more about the ordeal

Two people were escorted off the plane by Northern Territory police for unruly behavior.

Passengers eventually landed in Melbourne just after 11pm last night but without the bags, which will be arriving later today.

Jetstar has apologised to passengers for their “difficult experience”. The airline says it will consider refunds on a case-by-case basis.

Image: Nine