Passengers of an Air India flight to San Francisco, US, endured an excruciating delay of 24 hours, exacerbated by an eight-hour ordeal without air-conditioning on the flight forcing them to take refuge on the floors of Delhi airport. Amidst Delhi’s sweltering heatwave, with temperatures soaring to record highs, the situation quickly escalated as several passengers, among the 200, fainted.
The flight was originally scheduled to depart from Delhi at 3:30 pm on Thursday but was delayed due to "operational reasons". The incident that escalated into a full-blown crisis drew the attention of the Civil Aviation Ministry which issued a show-cause notice to Air India asking them to explain why sufficient arrangements were not made to help provide some ease to the passengers.
Moneycontrol journalist Shweta Punj was caught in the chaos and took to social media platform X to describe the harrowing experience.
"If there is a privatisation story that has failed, it is Air India. DGCA [aviation regulator] AI 183 flight has been delayed for over eight hours, passengers were made to board the plane without air-conditioning, and then deplaned after some people fainted in the flight. This is inhuman," she wrote, tagging Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, and sharing a photo of passengers sitting on the airport floor, exasperated.
She had an update a few hours ago albeit not a great one.
“The food was basic, as was the service. But it worked. Today in two hours it will be 24 hours for the passengers of AI 183. They were sent to a hotel late last night, to be back at 8:00am to the airport and now they have been asked to go back to the hotel,” she wrote.
Flight AI 183, originally scheduled for departure on Thursday afternoon, saw passengers first boarding in the oppressive heat without air-conditioning, leading to multiple individuals fainting before being asked to deplane.
Visuals shared by passengers depict a grim scene with exhausted travellers, including children, sitting on the airport floor, many having removed their shoes in discomfort.
In response to the growing outcry, Air India’s social media handle expressed regret: "Dear Ms. Punj, we truly regret to note the disruptions. Please be rest assured that our team is actively working to address the delay and appreciate your ongoing support and understanding. We are also alerting our team to provide necessary assistance to the passengers."
Abhishek Sharma, another passenger, appealed directly to the airline for immediate intervention, highlighting the plight of stranded parents. "AI 183 is over eight hours late. People were made to board the plane and sit without AC. Then deplaned and not allowed to enter the terminal because immigration was done," Sharma said in his post on X.
He had a fervent appeal and a bunch of photos of their ordeal: “Please let mine and the numerous other parents stranded at the boarding area go home!”
The passenger detailed what happened next saying the airline gave the passengers hotel rooms at 2 am and new boarding passes were issued with departure at 11 am today. That flight was also cancelled.
The flight was then rescheduled to 3 pm today - making it a nearly 24-hour delay.
"One has to reach the airport 3 hours prior and leave home 1 hour prior. Total 27.5 hours even before the journey commences! Fingers crossed. Hope it takes off at 3pm," Sharma wrote.
Despite these assurances, the incident has reignited concerns about Air India’s operational efficiency and passenger care standards. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had previously issued guidelines to mitigate such chaotic situations, emphasising the need for airlines to adhere to standard operating procedures for delays and cancellations.
The DGCA had mandated that airlines must cancel flights expected to be delayed beyond three hours to prevent extended passenger inconvenience.
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