DGCA issues show cause notice to Air India after Delhi-San Francisco flight delayed by 20 hours

The Air India flight to San Francisco was delayed by nearly a day inconveniencing passengers gravely. (Image: @shwwetapunj/X)

The Civil Aviation Ministry and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on May 31 issued a show cause notices to Air India after its Delhi-San Francisco flight was delayed for more than 20 hours due to a technical issue with the aircraft.

The flight AI 183, which was to depart from Delhi at 1530 IST on May 30, has been rescheduled and will now take off at 1500 IST on May 31.

"Repeated incidences of passengers being put to discomfort by M/s Air India in violation of various DGCA CAR (Civil Aviation Requirements) provisions have come to notice," the DGCA said in a statement on May 31.

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The aviation regulator added that Air India has "time and again" failed in taking due care of passengers and compliance of aforementioned Civil Aviation Requirements.

The DGCA's notice also cites violations of aviation regulations, particularly regarding passenger care during delays. The DGCA has given Air India three days to respond on the matter or face potential enforcement action.

The lastest incident marks the 10th time in the last two years that the DGCA has pulled up Air India for violation of CAR norms since its privatisation.

Earlier in the day, Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia took strict cognisance of airline delays and passenger inconvenience.

Passengers of a San Francisco-bound Air India flight faced a harrowing time due to an inordinate delay and some of them fainted as the aircraft's air-conditioning system was non-functional.

Passengers of the AI 183 flight also had to wait for around an hour in the aerobridge, according to a passenger.

There were around 200 passengers onboard the Boeing 777 aircraft that was to operate flight AI 183.

At first, the aircraft was changed due to a technical glitch and the passengers boarded another plane, wherein the air-conditioning system was not working and as a result some of those onboard fainted, Shipa Jain, a passenger said.

“If there is a privatisation story that has failed it is @airindia @DGCAIndia AI 183 flight has been delayed for over 8 hours, passengers were made to board the plane without air conditioning, and then deplaned after some people fainted in the flight. This is inhuman! @JM_Scindia,” Shweta Punj, a journalist with Moneycontrol, said in a post on X on May 30.

Several pictures from Delhi airport also surfaced on social media showing passengers lying down on the floor.