Air India was enjoying a wave of appreciation for sending a special flight to Barbados to bring Team India home. However, the celebration didn’t last long, as it was revealed that the same aircraft was initially scheduled to carry passengers from Newark to Delhi. This sudden change led to confusion and inconvenience for passengers who were expecting to travel on the Newark-Delhi route. The disruption has raised concerns about the airline’s operational decisions and prioritization. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has taken note of the situation and requested a detailed report from Air India.
A senior official confirmed that the aviation watchdog is seeking an explanation from the airline regarding the decision to deploy the scheduled aircraft for the cricket team’s transport. However, the official claimed that the passengers didn’t face any inconvenience by this rescheduling, reported PTI.
Most of the passengers who had already booked the tickets for the Newark to Delhi flight got a heads-up beforehand. But, there were a few who missed the memo and showed up at the airport only to find out their flight was a no-go. They then got shipped over to New York by road and managed to hop onto a flight to Delhi from there, the official told PTI.
Now, what caused all this? Turns out, Hurricane Beryl threw a wrench in the cricket team’s travel plans, so the Board of Control for Cricket in India had to pull some strings and set up a chartered flight to get them home. While the gesture towards the T20 World Cup champions was well-intentioned, it has highlighted the need for better communication and planning to avoid such disruptions in the future.