An Air India flight from Mumbai to San Francisco was delayed by 18 hours Friday due to a potential technical problem and at least one passenger falling ill while the plane taxied on the runway for six hours.
Flight AI-179 was originally scheduled to depart from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 4 p.m. local time but was delayed when an engine problem was reported, according to an Air India spokesperson.
Passengers were required to stay on the plane while the issue was investigated, prompting some to request disembarkation and one person to seek medical assistance.
“Giving top priority to safety issues, the aircraft was held back for engineering checks,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Meanwhile, a few guests decided to discontinue the journey and the flight got further delayed as their baggage had to be offloaded from the aircraft.”
Due to the night curfew at San Francisco International Airport and the work-hour limitations of the flight crew, the departure was rescheduled to depart at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Mumbai time.
Air India provided the affected passengers with hotel accommodations, complimentary rescheduling and refreshments at the airport.
The rescheduled flight was on its way and expected to arrive at SFO around 7:22 p.m. Saturday.
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