Several passengers claimed that an Air India flight from Delhi to San Francisco was delayed by more than eight hours on Thursday, causing some people to faint while they waited inside the aircraft without air conditioning. The flight is likely to depart at 11 am today.
Taking t X, formerly known as Twitter, several users shared their plight, with visuals showing fliers waiting in what appeared to be an alley leading to the aircraft. One of the users said that flight No. AI 183 was later by over eight hours, and “people were made to board the plane and sit without air-conditioning” at Delhi airport. She said that passengers were told to exit the aircraft after some of them fainted.
“If there is a privatisation story that has failed it is Air India. DGCA [aviation regulator] AI 183 flight was 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,” an X user wrote on X tagging Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
Following the backlash, Air India responded and wrote, “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.
Another X user appealed to the airline to take swift action and urged it to let his parents and “numerous other parents stranded at the boarding area [to] go home”.
Earlier in January this year, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued guidelines for dealing with chaotic situations following a massive rush at Delhi Airport due to fog. The aviation body mentioned in the standard operating procedure (SOP) for “facilities to be provided to passengers by airlines due to denied boarding, cancellation of flights, and delays in flights” that airlines may cancel flights that are anticipated to be delayed or “consequentially delayed” for more than three hours.
