Technical snag forces AI Mumbai-Jeddah flight to return

The flight from Mumbai was delayed by approximately five hours. Representation Pic

Air India Flight AI931 that took off from Mumbai to Jeddah on the evening of April 28, was forced to return to Mumbai due to a technical difficulty, leading to a cascade effect of delays. The flight from Mumbai was delayed by approximately five hours and the subsequent leg of the journey, Flight AI932 from Jeddah back to Mumbai scheduled to depart at 10.40 p.m also experienced a similar delay.

Passengers on board Flight AI931 experienced an unexpected turn of events when the aircraft had to reverse its course and return to Mumbai. Following the unplanned return, passengers of flight AI932 faced further inconvenience as they were stranded at Jeddah airport for an extended period before the rescheduled departure. During the delay at Jeddah airport, passengers expressed discomfort and frustration due to a lack of official communication between the airline and the stranded passengers.

The delay and cause

Air India has not yet provided detailed information regarding the nature of the technical difficulty that led to the return of Flight AI931, which is an Airbus A320 Neo aircraft. Sources from the airlines said, "Refreshments were provided to the stranded passengers at Jeddah airport by our (AIR INDIA) ground staff."

Sources from Mumbai airport told mid-day, "AI-931 returned back to bay due to technical reasons and later the aircraft was declared AOG (aircraft on ground), a term in aviation maintenance indicating that a problem is serious enough to prevent an aircraft from flying. Though the airlines had conveyed revised departure time as 11.30 pm hours to the airport, the flight from Mumbai took off at 11.53 pm Even after this reporter contacted the airlines, The airlines has not given an official statement addressing the delays and the lack of communication experienced by passengers during their time at Jeddah airport by the airlines.

Aggrieved passengers voice their concern

Passengers affected by these delays have voiced their concerns. A passenger requesting anonymity stated, "The flight was scheduled to depart at 10.40 pm By 12 am, there was no official communication from the airlines which prompted some of us to tweet about the issue (post about the issue on X) after which, we were provided refreshments. If the airlines knew about the delay, why did they even allow us to board the buses to take us to the stand where the aircraft was supposed to be parked after landing at Jeddah?"

In a message posted on X, another passenger, a journalist who was to resume his duty in Mumbai from April 29 also stranded at Jeddah airport said, "Hi @airindia, could you please provide an update on the status of AI932 from Jeddah to Mumbai? We've been at the Jeddah airport for the past two hours with no updates. We've been informed of a delay, but there's no clear information. There are elderly women and children returning from Umrah, so any update would be greatly appreciated. (SIC)"

To this, Air India from their official handle at 10.55 pm replied, "We regret the discomfort. We never intend to cause such disruptions. The flight is delayed due to operational reasons, and our team is working diligently to minimize the inconvenience caused. We've alerted our team to get in touch with our guests for assistance.(SIC)"

Experts speak

"An aircraft covers multiple legs across the day. If the flight is delayed at any particular leg, the consecutive legs see a delay as well. Its punctuality at all the destinations depends on the on-time performance of other aircraft as well as its own during each and every leg," said Captain Mohan Ranganathan, an aviation expert.

5 hrs
Approximate delay suffered by passengers from Mumbai