Air India Dreamliner aircraft to Delhi cancelled ahead of Diwali, 250 stranded in Milan

Most of the passengers have been rebooked in flight on October 20, which is also Diwali.

An Air India Dreamliner aircraft suffered a technical issue at Milan airport on Friday, forcing the airline to cancel its flight to Delhi and leaving over 250 passengers stranded in the Italian city, just days ahead of Diwali.

The airline said in a statement on Saturday that flight AI138 from Milan to Delhi on October 17 was cancelled due to an extended technical requirement on the aircraft scheduled to operate the service. The flight was to be operated using a Boeing 787-8, also known as Dreamliner.

Air India said it had arranged accommodations for the affected travellers. “All affected passengers have been provided hotel accommodations; however, due to limited availability, accommodations were arranged outside the immediate vicinity of the airport,” the airline said.

Most passengers have been rebooked on flights on or after October 20, which coincides with Diwali, depending on seat availability with Air India and other airlines. “Specifically, one of the passengers, whose Schengen visa expires on 20 October, has been rebooked on another airline’s flight departing Milan on 19 October to ensure compliance with her visa validity,” the airline added.

Several passengers took to social media to complain about the lack of adequate facilities following the cancellation. Air India said it regrets the inconvenience caused and continues to provide all necessary ground assistance, including meals, to affected passengers.

According to sources, there were more than 250 passengers booked on the cancelled flight. The incident comes at a time when some of Air India’s Dreamliners have recently faced technical issues, leading to disruptions on certain routes.

*With Agency Inputs