Technical glitch in aircraft causes inordinate delay for Chennai-bound air passengers

Passengers of Air India Express who had to fly down from Varanasi to Chennai via Hyderabad, faced hardship owing to inordinate delay, following a technical glitch in the aircraft. The first flight which was to transport passengers from Varanasi to Hyderabad, developed a snag causing the delay. This led to the Chennai-bound passengers missing their connecting flight from Hyderabad.

Swahilya, one of the passengers, said, they were scheduled to come from Varanasi to Chennai via Hyderabad. They had all arrived at the airport around 5.30 a.m. “The flight which was scheduled to depart from Hyderabad at 7.30 a.m. was delayed and we didn’t receive any communication from the airline until 10 a.m. Later, after some of the co-passengers reached out to the staff, we came to know that the airline was making alternative arrangements,” she said.

Later, the passengers bound for Chennai were taken on another flight to Bengaluru who subsequently landed in Chennai around 6 p.m. Passengers said, they received food only after 12 p.m. after waiting for several hours.

V. Aalavandaan, another passenger said, “I’m pretty disappointed over the delay. One of the main issues is that there was no communication from the staff. Until 10 a.m., we didn’t have any information over the delay. Technical glitches are bound to happen but they should inform the passengers immediately and make timely arrangement for food since many are senior citizens.”

An Air India Express spokesperson said, their flight scheduled to operate from Varanasi to Hyderabad was delayed due to a technical issue. He said they had made arrangements for transiting passengers who were scheduled to travel onwards to Chennai. “While passenger amenities were ensured, our technical team resolved the issue before departure. We regret the delay and inconvenience caused and would like to reiterate that the safety of our guests is paramount,” he said.