A number of passenger of Air India's flight AI-377 have been stranded in Phuket, Thailand, for over 80 hours due to repeated delays caused by technical issues, according to posts by frustrated passengers on social media.
The flight AI-377, which was scheduled to depart from Phuket International Airport on November 16, was cancelled by the airline after the crew onboard ran into Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) issues at first, and then the Airbus A320 plane encountered technical issues once an alternate crew was arranged, multiple airline executives told Moneycontrol.
"Most of the passengers of flight AI-377 have been flown back to India, with the last batch of passengers scheduled to fly back today," an airline executive said, adding, that passengers were provided seats on alternate flights to India on November 17 and 18 as well.
Passengers reported that the flight was initially scheduled to depart for Delhi on the night of November 16. However, airline representatives informed them of a six-hour delay due to a technical fault.
After hours of waiting at the airport, the passengers were eventually asked to board the plane, only to be deboarded an hour later when the flight was cancelled.
The same aircraft was prepared for departure the following day, with assurances that the issue had been resolved. However, about two-and-a-half hours into the flight, the plane returned to Phuket due to another technical fault. Since then, passengers have remained stranded in Phuket.
"@airindia Pathetic services. Flight AI-1377 returned to Phuket after flying 3 hours above Phuket. More than 150 passengers stranded. No satisfactory reply from airlines. 2 consecutive days same flight is cancelled," Shubham Maurya posted on micro-blogging site X on November 17 at 2210 IST.
Similarly, X user Manny posted asking the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu to intervene in the situation.
"@Ministry_CA @RamMNK @MoCA_GoI @DGCAIndia @AAI_Official Please look into this on urgent basis. We are stranded in Phuket. #AirIndia boarded us on a plane which wasnt entriely fit for flying. That's a huge risk and potentially life threating," Manny said in a post.
"Air India sincerely regrets the inconvenience to passengers of Flight AI377 operating from Phuket to Delhi on 16 November which was cancelled due to a technical issue. While our staff on the ground made effort to minimise their inconvenience, providing all on-ground assistance including hotel accommodations and meals, some of the guests were also reaccommodated on alternatively available flights. Passengers were also offered options for full refunds on cancellation and complimentary rescheduling. At Air India, the safety and security of our passengers and crew is top priority," the company said while commenting on the situation.
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