Jetstar passengers stranded at airport  for 30 hours

A group of passengers were forced to sleep on the floor of a Whitsundays airport after their flight was cancelled.

The passengers were stranded at Proserpine Airport for 30 hours after the plane they were due to board experienced an engineering issue and was unable to depart.

The peak school holiday season meant most accommodation was already booked out, so there was nowhere to put the passengers once the flight was cancelled.

Passenger Simon Mossman told Today on Thursday morning it was not something he would wish on anybody.

‘There was a lady who was very reliant on her wheelchair, she’s just come out of hospital and she had no choice but to sleep on the floor of the departure lounge,’ he said.

‘Sleeping on the floor isn’t comfortable and it’s not something you wish on anybody.

‘Especially after such a long day and lack of communication.’

A Jetstar spokesperson explained that bad weather in Proserpine meant the airline could not fly a replacement aircraft or even an engineer to fix the problem.

‘We’re really sorry for this lengthy disruption and know it would have been an uncomfortable night for passengers,’ they said.

Jetstar tried to organise a flight to take passengers to Brisbane where there would be accommodation, but fog prevented the flight from landing in the Whitsundays.

Food, drinks and support were reportedly available through the night for passengers.

The passengers landed in Melbourne on Wednesday afternoon.