Delhi-Kolkata Air India flight delayed over 'unavailability of pilots'
What's the story
Air India has come under severe criticism again after passengers were left stranded at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport due to a flight delay and subsequent mismanagement.
The flight AI 762—bound for Kolkata—was scheduled to depart at 9:00pm on Sunday but was delayed for over three hours, allegedly due to the unavailability of pilots.
This resulted in confusion and frustration as passengers were stuck at the airport until 2:00am, many of whom had planned to reunite with families for Diwali.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Air India is already under fire from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for a false safety audit.
The fresh incident of flight delay and mismanagement comes as the airline is in the process of implementing its rebranding plan.
The Tata Group-backed airline launched its new logo and color scheme in August, along with its budget allocations.
On the occasion, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said the company had spent around $400 million to refurbish its planes.
Details
Passengers made to wait despite official notification about timing
Many passengers reportedly complained of mismanagement and confusion after the delay. Some of them claimed no refreshment was offered during the long wait.
They received an SMS and email from Air India at 6:04pm on Sunday informing them about a two-hour delay, meaning it would depart at 11:00pm.
However, they were allegedly made to board the flight at 11:00pm instead of the mandatory one hour before, as per the process, according to India.com.
Details
Complaints about lack of support from Air India staff
Dr. Souradipta Chandra, a passenger, told ANI, "After waiting at the airport for 5 hours, we reached the boarding gate, where the staff kept informing us that the boarding would begin in about 10 minutes. This went on for over 2 hours, after which there was utter chaos.
"The staff was of no help, and passengers rightfully lost their cool," he alleged.
Dr. Chandra was scheduled to attend to patients in Kolkata but was unable to due to the delay.
Twitter Post
Watch: Visuals of chaos at Delhi airport
Is #airindia running short of water that this had to be witnessed@ delhi airport for the flight AI762 with ETD @21:00hr 5 July, was delayed initially by 2 hr passenger were made to board the plane by 23:00 hrs. 1am people felt suffocating and started to ask for any updates pic.twitter.com/NKSOVRgKCr
— Harsh nahar (@Harsh69340521) July 5, 2023
Insights
Air India apologizes after criticism
In response to the backlash, Air India apologized and assured action.
"We deeply regret that this delay has impacted your journey. However, your feedback is crucial to us," it said.
This is not an isolated incident for Air India. Many flight delays were also attributed to technical issues.
In June, passengers on an Air India flight from London to Delhi experienced a similar inconvenience after the pilot refused to resume the journey after making an emergency landing in Jaipur.