AI flight, 175 passengers onboard from Pune to Delhi grounded for hours with locked doors

Mangalore Today News Network

Maharastra, Oct 04, 2018 : An Air India flight (AI 854) slated to take off from Pune to Delhi on Tuesday was delayed due to a technical glitch during which the 175 passengers onboard were not allowed to deboard the aircraft. Passengers complained that the air conditioners were not working, causing them discomfort, with many passengers having breathing problems.

 

The flight was supposed to take off at 10 pm but it did not take off until after midnight, according to Times of India. The passengers said that the aircraft tried to move from the parking bay to the runway area twice but failed to take off.

Air India, a day after the incident, issued a statement stating that doors were shut for safety reasons and due to the unavailability of ladders. Air India said, "Since we accord top priority to safety issues, flight delayed to sort out the last-minute technical glitch. Doors were shut for safety reasons due to unavailability of ladders at the airport." The national carrier also tweeted the same.

"In this process, we understand that passengers faced inconvenience as they could not be deboarded before clearance. We assure you that Air India is doing its best to minimise inconvenience to pax when such unforeseen situations arise. We apologise for the inconvenience caused," AI further tweeted.

Abhisar Sharma, a journalist who was on board documented the whole ordeal. In a video, the passengers can be seen having breathing problems. The crew in the aircraft state that there is a technical glitch, not explaining any further.