Wheelchair-bound woman forced to sleep at airport after Jetstar flight to Melbourne cancelled

A woman suffering a painful infection was stranded at an airport for more than 24 hours after her Jetstar flight to Melbourne was abruptly abandoned.

About 60 Jetstar passengers were forced to sleep at a Queensland airport after their Melbourne-bound flight was abandoned.

A wheelchair-bound woman was forced to sleep on an airport couch after her Jetstar flight to Melbourne was abandoned due to a safety issue.

Kaylene Cooper was stranded at Whitsunday Coast Airport in Proserpine for more than 24 hours after her Melbourne-bound flight was cancelled on Tuesday.

It’s understood the flight was canned due to bad weather and a problem with the plane’s brake landing gear.

Ms Cooper, along with 60 other passengers, were forced to sleep at the airport, bunking on chairs and the floor overnight as there were no vacancies at nearby hotels.

The 68-year-old was flying home after being admitted to Mackay Base Hospital for three weeks due to a cellulitis flare-up.

She spent most of her time in the intensive care unit, unable to walk and using a wheelchair for assistance.

Her son, Travis Cooper, told the Herald Sun he flew to Queensland to help her get home safely.

“I flew up Sunday to help with her discharge and be the support she needs for the flight home,” he said.

“The doctors wanted mum to fly home and get her wounds dressing changed straight after the flight but we’ve been at the airport now for more than 24 hours.

“At midnight on Wednesday we were officially told that all flights were cancelled.”

Kaylene Cooper was forced to sleep on an airport couch with severe cellulitis. Picture: Supplied

The 68-year-old uses a wheelchair while she recovers from the infection.

Mr Cooper said his mother was “sore and tired” after a “tough night”.

“Emotions among passengers was very high last night and even Jetstar staff were getting emotional due to the strain that they were going through,” he said.

“A security guard helped me get mum onto a couch to rest and sleep and I slept on the floor.

“It wasn’t ideal but at least we had ‘comfort’. I really wish the elderly and disabled and injured were at least looked after better.”

A Jetstar spokesman said there was limited accommodation available due to school holidays.

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

“Unfortunately, one of our aircraft experienced an engineering issue and bad weather in Proserpine meant we were unable to fly in an engineer to fix the problem or another aircraft.

“Our teams worked hard to find accommodation for passengers, however there were very few rooms available because of the school holidays.

“We put on a special flight last night to try to fly passengers who couldn’t find accommodation to Brisbane, however this flight was unable to land in Proserpine due to fog.

It’s unclear when Ms Cooper and other passengers will get on another flight to Melbourne.

“We will always prioritise safety and we thank everyone for their patience and understanding as we work really hard to get them on their way today,” the spokesman said.