Passengers of AI Delhi-SFO flight face over 30 hrs ordeal; flight departs after inordinate delay

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Over 200 passengers flying from Delhi to San Francisco experienced a lengthy struggle due to a technical fault, non-functional air conditioning, and payload issues, resulting in a more than 30-hour delay. After repeated rescheduling since Thursday evening, the flight, AI 1183, finally took off from the Delhi airport around 2155 hours.

The flight, which was originally planned for Thursday at approximately 1530 hours, was delayed for nearly 6 hours before being rescheduled for Friday. Despite repeated rescheduling, the departure was pushed back due to a technical fault and payload issues, reported PTI.

"The Delhi-San Francisco flight duration is around 16 hours and by the time it lands in the American city, it would be night. The flight, which was originally scheduled to take off at around 1530 hours on Thursday, was delayed for nearly 6 hours before being rescheduled for Friday. On Friday, the flight, to be operated with a Boeing 777 aircraft, was first scheduled for around 1100 hours departure which was changed to 1500 hours and after finally pushing back at around 1745 hours, the plane came back to the bay, the sources said. Initially, a technical glitch was suspected and later payload issues were noticed. The airline is expected to offload some cargo and then depart for San Francisco," the sources told PTI. One of the sources told the news agency that an announcement was made that due to temperature issues, the flight could not take off, and added that the air conditioning was also switched off.

According to the report, the aviation regulator DGCA issued a show cause notice to Air India for the delay and passenger discomfort. Passengers, especially the elderly and children, had to endure discomfort owing to a malfunctioning air conditioning system. Meanwhile, Air India has not issued an official statement regarding the delay, customers reported being provided full refunds, complimentary rescheduling, and overnight accommodations, the report added.

This is the second occurrence in a week in which customers on Air India's San Francisco flights have experienced major delays and inconvenience. On Thursday, passengers on aircraft AI 183 complained about delays and inadequate facilities.

Passengers complained about the lack of air conditioning and the airline's poor communication on rescheduling possibilities. Despite these obstacles, the aeroplane eventually took off, bringing some relief to the trapped passengers.

"If there is a privatisation story that has failed it is @airindia @DGCAIndia AI 183 flight has been delayed for over 8 hours, passengers were made to board the plane without air conditioning, and then deplaned after some people fainted in the flight. This is inhuman! @JM_Scindia," Shweta Punj, a journalist, said in a post on X on Thursday night.