Passengers on an Air India Express flight from Guwahati to Kolkata endured a harrowing experience after being deboarded twice due to a ‘technical glitch’ in the aircraft, eventually reaching their destination on Sunday afternoon, over 18 hours after the scheduled departure, according to officials.
The incident involved 170 passengers on Air India Express flight IX-1226, which was originally set to leave Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport at 9:20 pm on Saturday.
The flight was delayed past midnight because of a “technical glitch” and passengers remained seated inside during this period, as described by an aggrieved traveller in a video that has gone viral on social media.
Several such videos are circulating online, alleging a lack of clear information regarding the delay.
Poor hotel stay adds to passenger frustration
“Around 1:30 am, we were asked to deboard and taken to the lounge. From there, we were taken to a very cheap hotel for overnight stay. It did not provide us any breakfast,” a person in a viral video alleged.
On Sunday morning, passengers were brought back to the airport and boarded the same aircraft around 9:30 am. However, they were again informed by the captain and crew that the flight was further delayed due to the same technical issue.
Air India Express arranges alternative aircraft
After some time, they were deboarded once more and brought back to the airport, with local Air India Express officials stating that a separate aircraft would ferry them to Kolkata.
Finally, the passengers departed Guwahati at 3:34 pm on a different flight. Some of the 170 passengers chose to fly with other airlines as offered by Air India Express.
Airline responds to allegations
An Air India Express spokesperson told PTI that the evening flight on the Guwahati-Kolkata route developed a “technical issue.” “An alternative aircraft was arranged the next day, resulting in an extended delay. Guests were provided with service recovery options, including hotel accommodation, complimentary rescheduling or cancellation with a full refund,” he added.
Rejecting the passengers’ claim of a ‘cheap hotel,’ a company official in Guwahati stated that travellers were offered the best available hotel and that airline staff also stayed at the same property.
With inputs from PTI