In the first instance, Air India cancelled its Phuket-Delhi flight of November 16, citing a “technical” issue, leaving its passengers stranded for over 80 hours at the foreign destination.
As this was not enough, the Tata Group-run private carrier had to divert its Paris-Delhi flight to Jaipur due to bad weather, and first, the passengers allegedly had to wait in the aircraft for five hours and then made to travel by road to Delhi.
While Air India did not offer comments on the diversion of the Paris-Delhi flight, on the Phuket-Delhi flight it said that “while its staff on the ground made an effort to minimise their inconvenience, providing all on-ground assistance, including hotel accommodations and meals, some of the guests were also re-accommodated on alternatively available flights.”
“Please look into this on urgent basis. We are stranded in Phuket. #AirIndia boarded us on a plane which was not entirely fit for flying. That’s a huge risk and potentially life threating #flight_AI377,” said a passenger in post on X formerly Twitter, tagged to civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Ministry of Civil Aviation, DGCA and the Airports Authority.
“Shameful and pathetic management from @airindia today as flight #AI2022 from CDG-DEL diverted to JAI. Pax stranded at JAI asked to spend 5 hrs inside the aircraft and then to take a bus from JAI to DEL. My wife and two months old is suffering and I am helpless,” said another passenger’s post on X formerly Twitter on the diverted Paris-Delhi flight.
Significantly, only recently Air India Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director said that two mergers have created a full-service carrier and a low-cost carrier of scale for the Tata Group, which is seeking to establish a “world-class global aviation company with an Indian heart.”
“Hello @airindia what’s wrong with your service. My daughter is stranded in Jaipur after her Paris -Delhi- Bengaluru flight was diverted. Now they are saying by road they will be sending her to Delhi, and she has to make her own arrangements to reach Bengaluru,” said another passenger in his social media post.
An Air India source told CNBC-TV18 that the “said the flight from Paris was supposed to land at Delhi, but due to weather, it was diverted to Jaipur. By then, the flight duty time and rest period norms of the crew had come into effect, so it was decided to send the passengers to their destination by road.”
The flight duty time limitation and rest norms for the flight crew—cabin crew members and pilots—are governed by the aviation safety regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
“Air India sincerely regrets the inconvenience to passengers of Flight AI377 operating from Phuket to Delhi on 16 November which was cancelled due to a technical issue. While our staff on the ground made effort to minimise their inconvenience, providing all on-ground assistance including hotel accommodations and meals, some of the guests were also reaccommodated on alternatively available flights,” Air India said in its statement on the Phuket flight.
Passengers were also offered options for full refunds on cancellation and complimentary rescheduling. At Air India, the safety and security of our passengers and crew is a top priority, it added.
