DOT launching investigation into Delta plane stuck on tarmac in extreme heat

The Department of Transportation (DOT) is launching an investigation after a Delta airplane sat on the tarmac of Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas for multiple hours Monday before the flight was canceled, according to Reuters.

Passengers reportedly sat in the plane, set to travel from Las Vegas to Atlanta, for hours in 111-degree temperatures, according to reports.

DOT officials didn’t confirm the investigation but said they’re “looking into the circumstances that led to uncomfortable temperatures inside the cabin,” reports KTNV Channel 13, Las Vegas’s local ABC News affiliate.

Paramedics reportedly wheeled multiple people off the plane, according to Fox Business. In addition, multiple flight attendants were also said to have fallen ill, but the number of people who got sick could not be confirmed.

Delta said at least one passenger sought treatment for heat-related illness.

Delta flight canceled after passengers suffer heat illnesses amid triple-digit temps in Las Vegas

Transportation Department officials told Channel 13 that airlines are required to ensure comfortable temperatures in the cabin during tarmac delays.

“I want to know how it was possible for passengers to be left in triple-digit heat on board an aircraft for that long,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told Reuters about the incident.

He added, “Even at normal temperatures, a tarmac delay is not supposed to go that long, and we have rules about that, which we are actively enforcing right now.”

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