A San Francisco-bound Air India flight has been delayed by about 20 hours in Delhi. This flight was originally scheduled to depart yesterday afternoon, however, its revised take off time is now 11 am today.
Earlier, some passengers claimed on social media platform X that there were cases of fainting inside the aircraft due to lack of air conditioning.
Shweta Punj, a journalist, posted on X on Thursday that flight 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 reported that passengers were instructed to exit the aircraft after several of them fainted.
“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,” Punj mentioned in a post on X, tagging Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
The Air India X account responded to her, “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 passenger, Abhishek Sharma, urged the airline to take swift action, highlighting the need to let his parents and many other stranded parents in the boarding area go home. The Air India X bot handle replied to Sharma with the same message it sent to Punj.
In another post earlier today, Sharma informed, “Air India took passengers to a hotel. Room was provided by 2 am. A new boarding pass was provided with a departure time of 11am. Parents are back at the airport and it seems even this flight is cancelled. No one from Air India is helping.”
In January, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) released guidelines to manage chaotic situations arising from heavy fog at Delhi airport. The DGCA outlined 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 have the option to cancel flights expected to be delayed or “consequently delayed” beyond three hours. The DGCA mandated immediate compliance with the SOP by all airlines.