Passengers are protesting against Air India Express after two days of flight diversions that disrupted their plans, claiming poor communication and mismanagement caused chaos at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), Bengaluru. Travellers claimed that they were not fully informed when the Bengaluru-Kathmandu service left at 10:30 am on Thursday and returned without touching down in Kathmandu. The plane subsequently flew again on Friday morning, but they said that it was redirected to Lucknow after failing to land in Kathmandu once more, as reported by PTI.
What happened during the diversions?
Protesting passengers claim that during the detour, they were kept seated inside the aircraft for hours after landing. This led to an onboard protest, which ultimately resulted to the flight’s return to Bengaluru. After arriving, a number of travelers protested for accountability and compensation by staging a sit-in close to the immigration station. “Without adequate information, we were detained inside the aircraft for hours. During the protest, a passenger remarked, “No one gave a clear explanation of what was happening, ” as quoted by PTI. Another tourist claimed that the disturbance had destroyed their holiday and caused them to lose money. The CISF and other security personnel sought to calm the passengers by stepping in at the airport.
Watch video here
Chaos unfolded at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport after passengers bound for Nepal protested against Air India Express, alleging severe mismanagement that disrupted their journey for two straight days.
According to passengers, the flight departed Bengaluru for… pic.twitter.com/mvXzRsk8GU
— Vani Mehrotra (@vani_mehrotra) February 28, 2026
Why was the aeroplane unable touch down in Kathmandu?
The Air India Express blamed the Kathmandu weather for the disruption. A representative of Air India said in a statement, “Our Bengaluru-Kathmandu flights on 26 and 27 February were diverted because of unfavourable weather in Kathmandu.” For the same reason, a second flight was operated to retrieve passengers from yesterday’s interrupted service.
Hotel accommodations and the choice of a free rescheduling or a full refund cancellation have been offered to the impacted persons. To accommodate these passengers, a second flight is scheduled for today. We apologise for any difficulty caused by circumstances outside the airline’s control.”
What complaints are travellers making at the airport in Bengaluru?
Throughout the lengthy disruption, passengers said that they were left without proper information and preparations, and they reportedly waited inside the plane for more than 30 hours in total during the diversions. More than 40 travellers who spoke Kannada were also impacted, as reported by PTI. Several of the passengers also reported that the delays cost them money.
According to the airline, the impacted travelers received home accommodation, free rescheduling of their flights, or full refund cancellations.