2023 has been an eventful year for Air India and it has constantly been in the news for various reasons. This time around, the airline has caught attention due to a technical snag in one of the flights that was supposed fly 170 passengers from Mumbai to Dubai. The flight, which was supposed to depart for Dubai at 3 PM on Thursday, actually took off at 4 AM on Friday.
Air India Flight Delayed By 13 Hours
Air India Express, which is owned by the Tata Group, said in a statement that it helped about 50 passengers who needed special accommodations, including a lounge.
However, according to an airline source, the remaining 120 passengers remained at the airport terminal building. The flight was scheduled to carry 170 people in total. An important fact to note is that the Tata Group runs at least four luxury hotels in the city. One of those hotels is right on the grounds of the domestic airport terminal.
The airline stated that a technical hiccup that occurred on February 9, 2023, on the Mumbai-Dubai route caused a progressive delay for Air India Express flight IX 247 that was out of control.
The Airline Claims To Have Taken Timely Measures
After the incident, the airline stated that they did everything they could to lessen the visitors’ difficulties. They provided everyone with dinner and continued refreshments afterwards. They also stated that for 50 travellers who needed extra help and support, airport lounges were made available.
This delay was brought about due to an engineering-related problem with the aircraft, and the maintenance crew predicted that it would be airworthy by 7 o’clock. The airline accordingly announced the revised schedule of departure at 7 pm. However, it ended up taking much longer. There was a need to replace the aircraft.
There were no spare aircraft available at the time. Hence, the airline had to wait for the plane flying the Jeddah-Mumbai flight to arrive. In the end, the estranged passengers boarded the flight at 3 AM.
Air India has been making news constantly, whether it’s for proposals happening in the air or even stones found in meals.
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