Angry passengers who refused to leave an AirAsia flight in India have been blasted with full-strength air-conditioning to try to get them to move.

When the passengers refused to get off the Kolkata-Bagdora flight after it was delayed on take-off, the captain turned the air-conditioning on full blast, filling the cabin with fog.

Indian Oil Corporation West Bengal executive director Dipankar Ray was one of the passengers on Wednesday’s flight.

“The flight was scheduled to depart at 9am and was initially delayed by 30 minutes. After boarding, we kept sitting inside the aircraft for one and a half hours, with no food or water at all,” he told The Times of India.

The captain then demanded – without any explanation – that passengers disembark, Mr Ray said.

“When passengers refused to de-board due to heavy rains outside, the captain put the air-conditioning blower on full blast,” he said.

“It created a scary scene as heavy fog was created inside the plane and it was very suffocating.”

https://twitter.com/dray_ioc/status/1009344444347412480

Mr Ray said some of the women on board started vomiting and children were crying as the cabin filled with fog. Other passengers argued with AirAsia staff, demanding the air-conditioning be turned off.

“This is the way the aviation industry works in India. This #AirAsia service was particularly scary … Avoid AirAsia,” Mr Ray said on social media.

AirAsia apologised in a statement.

“AirAsia regrets the inconvenience caused to guests on account of this disruption and would like to re-instate that the airline always prioritises safety above all,” it said.

It said the passengers were not in any danger from the cold air that circulated through the cabin.

“This is a normal occurrence on-board all aircraft when the air-conditioning is operated in high humidity conditions,” it said.

@AirAsia have spoken to me twice since yesterday and apologised to all inconvenienced and assured that more clarity will be brought in in handling such situations in future. With this assurance, let the controversy be set aside ..

— Dipankar Ray (@dray_ioc) June 21, 2018

AirAsia also said passengers had been offered food and water, and offered alternative travel arrangements. But Mr Ray said they had been told only to go to the airport food court and show their boarding passes.

“When we reached the food court, they refused us. There was no communication from AirAsia at all. We had to pay,” he said.

“When we were boarding the flight the second time, then they gave us one sandwich and a 250-millilitre water bottle. This is an unacceptable treatment.”

The flight eventually took off, after being delayed for more than four hours.

-with agencies