170 Passengers Spend 13 Hours…
Nearly 170 passengers of an Air India Express flight to Dubai had a difficult time at the airport as the flight was delayed by 13 hours due to a technical issue.
On Friday, 10 February 2023, the flight was scheduled to take off for Dubai at 3 pm on Thursday, left at 4 am due to technical issues.
In a statement, Air India Express which is owned by Tata group said it provided assistance to 50 passengers, who had special requirements, including the lounge facility in it.
The remaining 120 passengers were kept at the airport terminal building, an airline source informed.
A total of 170 passengers were booked for that air flight.
Significantly, Tata Group operates at least four luxury hotels in the city with one in the domestic airport terminal premises itself.
"Air India Express flight IX 247 on Mumbai-Dubai route on February 9, 2023 had a progressive delay due to a technical snag, which was beyond the control of the airline," the airline said.
"We made all possible steps to minimise the difficulties of our guests, dinner was given to all, followed by continuous refreshments too.
Airport lounge facilities were provided to 50 guests who required special assistance and support," the statement said.
According to the source, there was an engineering related issue with the aircraft and the maintenance team said the aircraft will be airworthy by 7 pm.
So, accordingly the airline announced the revised schedule of 7 pm but later, it was identified that it was a delay as the aircraft had to be replaced, the source added.
Since there were no other aircraft available at Mumbai airport, the airline had to wait for the arrival of a plane operating Jeddah-Mumbai flight.
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