Air India flight to Dubai delayed by 8 hours, passengers kept onboard for 3 hours

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Passengers of Air India flight AI909, scheduled to depart for Dubai at 9 am on Saturday, endured an ordeal lasting over eight hours at Mumbai airport. Passengers were made to sit inside the aircraft for nearly three hours without air conditioning, before being deboarded. A passenger on this flight also fainted due to lack of amenities like water.

Shweta Powar, an entrepreneur travelling to Dubai on the flight, told mid-day, "Many of us reached the airport around 5 am as it was an international flight. Many passengers had not even eaten breakfast. Boarding started around 8.15 am and abruptly halted around 8.30 am. The crew told us that there was some technical glitch and boarding resumed in 10 minutes. We were all inside the aircraft around 8.45 am, but the aircraft did not depart. We were made to sit inside the aircraft till 11.40 am."

The flyer further narrated, "The lack of a functioning air conditioning system caused several passengers to feel unwell. Some complained of dizziness and nausea. We requested the airline crew for updates but they did not have anything to tell us. They served us some food inside the aircraft."

Passengers said that the captain announced around 11 am that there was a technical issue with the aircraft and that the ground crew had fixed it. But the flight never took off. Around 11.45 am, they were deboarded "There were diabetic and elderly people travelling with us. Some of us will miss our connecting flights. After deboarding, we were asked to proceed to a transit lounge. No water was served to us while in this phase. A passenger who had undergone a surgery recently fainted," Powar said. Another passenger, Nishtha Chadha, said, "The pilots told us there was a technical issue. But that does not mean that we should be made to sit in the aircraft for three hours without AC." Eventually, boarding resumed at 3.45 pm and the flight took off at 5.10 pm. Air India did not respond to requests for comment.

Indigo flyers stuck in aircraft for six hrs

Passengers of IndiGo flight 6E6114 from Delhi to Mumbai were allegedly forcibly held onboard inside the aircraft for over six hours before departure due to dense fog in Delhi. The flight, scheduled for departure at 10 pm on January 3, finally took off at 3.40 am on January 4 after significant delays attributed to adverse weather. Indigo acknowledged the query sent by mid-day but did not comment till the time of going to press.

An IndiGo spokesperson said: "Flight 6E 6114, operating from Delhi to Mumbai, was delayed due to fog and low visibility at Delhi. The extended delay occurred as weather conditions remained unsuitable for operations. The aircraft departed promptly once conditions improved. We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers due to factors beyond our control. At IndiGo, passenger and crew safety remains our utmost priority, and we sincerely appreciate the understanding and patience of our passengers in such circumstances."