A passenger on board the Air India Express flight IX196 bound for Jaipur from Dubai showed travellers eagerly awaiting communication in a viral video. “No AC, no communication, and zero assistance from the crew” wrote the user in the video. With her was her young son who was struggling due to the 5 hour wait.
Aarzo Sethi, a popular dietician on Instagram, shared this video of her experience. The video opens with Sethi criticising the crew for ignoring passengers, then shows her son and others sweating heavily inside the aircraft. As the footage continues, passengers can be seen using safety instruction cards to fan themselves, with many pressing their call bells simultaneously. “It’s 12:30 AM and there’s no accountability. Just look at this situation,” Sethi remarks in the clip.
In the caption, she wrote: “We were stuck on @airindiax Flight IX196 for over 5 hours with no AC, no updates, and no help. Everyone was distressed and confused. After the Ahmedabad incident, this was even scarier—how can such negligence happen again?”
Air India responds
Air India express issued an official statement as the video went viral. A spokesperson said, ““Some of our flights from cities in the UAE are experiencing delays post-boarding due to ATC congestion following the closure of certain airspaces.
We are aware of a video on social media in which a guest has commented on the cabin temperature while the aircraft was on ground for over an hour prior to departure. The air conditioning system was functioning normally; however, when an aircraft remains on ground with its doors open for an extended period, especially in hot weather conditions like those in Dubai, the cooling effect may not feel optimal until after take-off.
The cabin crew, as per procedure, secured the cabin for departure and attended to guest requests, including call bells, once the flight was airborne. We regret the inconvenience caused due to factors beyond our control and sincerely appreciate the understanding of our guests.”
Netizens react
Netizens flocked the comment section and called for an Air India boycott and called the incident “irresponsible”.
Another user commended Sethi for sharing her experience and said, “It takes courage to speak out, and I respect you for it!”
Netizens called for cancelling Air India signalling the change in service following the Tata take over. While some opposed her and called this is a way to garner public attention and milk out controversy.
This comes after the horrific tragedy of the AI-171 bound for London which crashed just seconds after take off. Resulting in the loss of nearly 300 lives, officials now speculate whether there was a probable foul play involved.
ATC discoveries revealed that the pilot consumed the entire 3.5km runway for take off due to incomplete thrust. However, the incident has become India’s deadliest civil aviation emergency.