After being delayed for more than 8 hours, some people fainted inside the Air India flight, which had no air conditioning, a passenger claimed on Thursday.
Journalist Shweta Punj stated on her official X handle that the Air India flight was late by over 8 hours, and passengers “were made to board the plane and sit without air conditioning” at Delhi Airport.
After some people fainted, Shweta said that passengers were asked to exit the plane.
A scorching heatwave has gripped Delhi, with mercury levels soaring up to a record-breaking 52.9 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
While tagging Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Punj on her official handle stated: “If there is a privatisation story that has failed, it is Air India. The 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.”
In response to her post, Air India said: “Dear Ms. Punj, we truly regret to note the disruptions. Please rest assured that our team is actively working to address the delay and appreciates your ongoing support and understanding. We are also alerting our team to provide necessary assistance to the passengers.”
A social media user named Amadro said that his “mother has been stuck there” and claimed that “no dinner” and “assistance of any kind” were provided to the passengers.
In response to the post, Air India stated, “Hi, we regret to note the discomfort caused. We always try to avoid delays and the cancellation of flights. Our team is trying its best to minimise the inconvenience caused. We are alerting our airport team to provide the necessary assistance.”
Another user, Abhishek Sharma, urged the airline to take swift action and asked them to let his parents, along with numerous other parents stranded at the boarding area, go home.
This is not the first of its kind incident that passengers have been through. Earlier this month, on an Air India flight from Mumbai to San Francisco, people had to sit inside the passenger cabin for around six hours with poor air conditioning.
