Passengers on an Air India Express flight from Abu Dhabi to Mumbai faced a travel nightmare after their plane was diverted to Ahmedabad due to bad weather, leaving them stranded for a staggering ten hours. Chaos erupted at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPI) in Ahmedabad on Sunday night as frustrations boiled over with the airline’s handling of the situation.
Air India Express Flight From Abu Dhabi To Mumbai Gets Delayed
Flight IX296, which typically departs Abu Dhabi at 7:40 AM, was already delayed by over twelve hours, taking off at 8:34 PM instead. Passengers were initially hopeful they would reach their destination in Mumbai, but their hopes were dashed when the flight was diverted to Ahmedabad due to adverse weather conditions. While landing at SVPI Airport at 2:33 PM might have seemed like a relief, it was only the beginning of a frustrating ordeal.
After disembarking, passengers were left stranded at the airport with minimal communication from the airline. As the hours ticked by, tempers flared, and tensions escalated around midnight. Passengers reported being kept on the plane for four hours after landing in Ahmedabad, further adding to their frustration.
Passengers Express Frustration
**Complaint Alert**@AirIndiaX , this is unacceptable! Flight IX 296 from AUH to BOM, scheduled to depart at 08:20 AM and arrive at 12:25 PM, is still not at its destination by 11 PM! What’s going on with this delay? #FlightDelay #PoorService#harrasment@DGCAIndia
— prats (@prateekvarpe) July 21, 2024
@RNTata2000 @AirIndiaX @PMOIndia@jyotriditya Sindhia.Flight ix296 fm AUH to bom on 21st july 2024 dvtd to ADI. After 30 min of landing wthr was ok but flight did not fly bcos crew was not available for more than 8 https://t.co/UKZeM3enhh food for 10 hrs.we will become vishvaguru.
— sanjeev agarwaal (@Sanjeevmarine) July 21, 2024
Taking to social media, passengers expressed their outrage. One X(formerly, Twitter) user wrote, “@AirIndiaExpress this is unacceptable! Flight IX 296 from AUH to BOM, scheduled to arrive at 12:25 PM, is still not at its destination by 11 PM! What’s going on with the delay? #FlightDelay #PoorService #harrasment.”
Another passenger echoed the sentiment, writing, “Flight IX296 from AUH to BOM diverted to ADI. After 30 minutes of landing, weather was okay, but the flight didn’t fly because crew wasn’t available for more than eight hours. No food for ten hours. We will become a ‘vishvaguru’ (world leader)!”
Air India Express has yet to comment on the incident or offer an explanation for the lengthy delay in getting passengers to their final destination or the lack of crew availability. Passengers deserve to be kept informed and have their basic needs met, especially during extended delays.
Cover Image Courtesy: Flickr
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