On Friday, the Ministry of Civil Aviation issued a notice to Air India after a significant delay affected one of its flights. The flight, operated by the Tata Group-owned airline, was supposed to travel from Delhi to San Francisco but faced a delay of nearly 20 hours.
The Ministry has asked Air India to explain why it did not make arrangements to alleviate the passengers’ suffering, especially since temperatures in Delhi have been exceeding 50 degrees Celsius, as reported by news media.
Sources within Air India indicated that “operational reasons” were behind the flight delay at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. By the time these issues were addressed, flight duty time limitations had come into effect, which further delayed the departure.
The flight, AI 183, was originally scheduled to depart at 3:30 PM on Thursday. However, it was first rescheduled to 8 PM the same day, and then postponed to Friday afternoon. Approximately 200 passengers were on board the Boeing 777 aircraft assigned to the flight.
ALSO READ: “Air India Flight 807 Makes Emergency Landing in Delhi Due to Fire Alert”
Initially, a technical glitch required the aircraft to be changed. Passengers were transferred to another plane, but the air conditioning system on this plane was not functioning. This led to several passengers, including senior citizens and children, feeling unwell, and a few even fainted.
A passenger reported to PTI that after boarding the new aircraft at 7:20 PM for the revised departure time of 8 PM, they endured an hour without air conditioning. Due to the rising discomfort and agitation, passengers were eventually allowed to leave the plane and return to the airport after waiting nearly an hour in the aerobridge.
The incident sparked an outcry on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), where relatives of the passengers and other concerned individuals posted numerous messages seeking explanations from Air India about the prolonged delay and the discomfort endured by the passengers.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation is seeking a detailed explanation from Air India regarding the delay and the lack of adequate arrangements for the passengers. This incident has highlighted the need for better contingency plans to ensure passenger comfort and safety during unforeseen delays.
Comments