Air India Flight Delayed by 20 Hours: Passengers Suffer Without AC, Some Faint
New Delhi: Passengers on an Air India flight to San Francisco endured a harrowing experience after a delay of over 20 hours. The flight, initially scheduled to depart on Thursday afternoon, was rescheduled to leave at 11 am the following day. The delay not only caused significant inconvenience but also led to a highly uncomfortable situation where passengers were made to sit in an aircraft without air-conditioning, resulting in some people fainting due to the heat.
A Chaotic Sequence of Events
The ordeal began when flight
No. AI 183 was delayed by over eight hours at Delhi airport. Shweta Punj, a
journalist, highlighted the distressing conditions in a post on X (formerly
Twitter). According to Punj, passengers were boarded onto the plane and left to
sit without air-conditioning, despite Delhi experiencing a severe heatwave,
with temperatures soaring to a record 52.9 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
Passengers Made to Board and
Then Deplane
"People were made to
board the plane and sit without air-conditioning," Punj wrote. The
situation worsened as the oppressive heat inside the plane caused some
passengers to faint. Following this, they were told to exit the aircraft, only
to find themselves in limbo due to completed immigration procedures preventing
them from re-entering the terminal.
Social Media Outcry
Shweta Punj tagged Civil
Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in her post, describing the incident as
"inhuman" and a failure of Air India's privatisation. Her post
quickly gained attention, prompting a response from Air India's social media
team.
"Dear Ms. Punj, we
truly regret to note the disruptions. Please be rest assured that our team is
actively working to address the delay and appreciate your ongoing support and
understanding. We are also alerting our team to provide necessary assistance to
the passengers," Air India responded on X.
Stranded Passengers Seek Relief
Another passenger, Abhishek
Sharma, also took to X to express his frustration and appeal for swift action.
"AI 183 is over eight hours late. People were made to board the plane and sit
without AC. Then deplaned and not allowed to enter the terminal because
immigration was done," Sharma posted.
Visuals shared by several
passengers show the exhausted travelers, including children, sitting on the
floor and some even taking off their shoes to cope with the discomfort. The
scenes painted a grim picture of the ordeal faced by those on flight AI 183.
The Broader Implications
This incident has raised
questions about Air India's preparedness and customer service standards,
especially in light of the extreme weather conditions in Delhi. It also
highlights the challenges faced by the aviation industry in managing delays and
ensuring passenger comfort and safety.
Air India's Response
Air India's handling of the
situation has come under scrutiny, with many questioning the airline's crisis
management and communication strategies. The uniform response provided to
multiple passengers on social media further fueled frustrations, as it seemed
to lack a personalized approach to addressing individual concerns.
The significant delay of Air
India flight AI 183 and the subsequent suffering of its passengers underscore
the urgent need for better contingency planning and passenger care protocols in
the aviation sector. As passengers await a resolution, the incident serves as a
stark reminder of the human impact of operational disruptions and the
importance of maintaining high standards of service, even amidst challenges.
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