- Sunday, February 23, 2025
People took to X to slam the carrier over the situation with one calling it ‘inhuman’.
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIA’S premier carrier Air India made the headlines once again for wrong reasons on Thursday (30) when some of its passengers reportedly fainted after waiting inside a delayed aircraft without air conditioning for several hours.
Several people expressed their plight on X and shared visuals showing fliers waiting in what appeared to be the alley leading to the plane.
The flight, AI 183, was set to travel from Delhi to San Francisco and was delayed by 24 hours.
It was supposed to take off on Thursday afternoon (3.30 pm local time) but was rescheduled to take off at 3 pm local time on Friday (31).
The delay was caused by operational issues and thereafter, it had to wait for a change of crew because of limitations in flight duty time, India Today reported citing sources in Air India.
The airline reportedly offered full refund and hotel accommodation to all the affected passengers of the flight.
Indian journalist Shweta Punj spoke about the incident on X saying the Air India flight was delayed by several hours and the passengers “were made to board the plane and sit without air conditioning” at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. She also said that after some people lost consciousness in suffocating conditions, the passengers were asked to get off the plane.
Punj tagged Indian civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and the country’s civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation, besides Air India, and called the situation “inhuman” and even remarked that Air India’s story is one of failure in privatisation.
“If there is a privatisation story that has failed, it is Air India. The 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,” Shweta Punj tweeted.
In another tweet, she said, “Tatas took over this airline in 2022. In over 2.5 years, the airline has regressed. The situation it created for its passengers could have been grounds for a law suit for endangering lives in any other country. But that’s another battle.”
Air India responded to Punj’s tweets and assured her of “necessary assistance to the passengers”.
“We truly regret to note the disruptions. Please rest assured that our team is actively working to address the delay and appreciates your ongoing support and understanding. We are also alerting our team to provide necessary assistance to the passengers,” it said.
Punj responded to that tweet saying she hoped that the “bots actually translate into action”.
A social media user named Amadro tweeted claiming that his mother was left stranded at the airport due to the delay and that “no dinner” and “assistance of any kind” were provided to the passengers.
Another user, Abhishek Sharma, requested the airline to take swift action into the matter and asked them to let his parents, along with numerous other parents who were stuck at the boarding area, go home.
@airindia please let mine and the numerous other parents stranded at the boarding area go home!
AI 183 is over 8 hrs late. People were made to board the plane and sit without ac. Then deplaned and not allowed to enter the terminal because immigration was done#inhuman pic.twitter.com/0XdDBAovBK
— Abhishek Sharma (@39Abhishek) May 30, 2024
Dear Mr. Sharma, we understand the inconvenience this delay has caused and sincerely apologize. Our team is dedicated to finding the best possible alternatives for our passengers and ensuring a comfortable journey. Please reach out to our ground team for immediate support.
— Air India (@airindia) May 30, 2024
Air India responded to both, apologising for the “inconvenience” and “discomfort” caused to the passengers.
While Air India’s international flights getting delayed is not something that has happened for the first time, the latest incident came at a time when Delhi was witnessing a heatwave with the mercury racing to record high temperatures.
