Mumbai-Dubai Air India flight delayed for five hours, passengers remain confined to cabin without air-conditioning

A Dubai-bound Air India flight – AI909 – was delayed for five hours on Sunday — with passengers confined within the ‘suffocating’ cabin without air conditioning, reported Financial Express.

Originally scheduled to depart from Mumbai at 8.25 AM local time (IST) and was expected to arrive in Dubai at 10:15 AM local time (GST).

But due to the technical issues with Air India 787-8, the flight was delayed significantly and took off from Mumbai at 5.10 PM IST and landed safely in Dubai at 6.29 PM GST, according to the data from FlightRadar24, quoted by FE.

With the temperature inside the cabin soared, several passengers began to feel suffocated and a few reportedly struggling to breathe due to the lack of air conditioning.

Amid the growing distress, passengers complained that the airline’s crew did not offer any immediate relief. When passengers themselves insisted on deboarding, the crew opened the gates to allow people to disembark, the report said.

Air India has yet to release an official statement regarding the incident, but it is expected to face mounting pressure to address the situation and reassure the public about its commitment to passenger welfare and safety.

Similar case:

A few days ago, a similar incident took place with private airliner IndiGo, which faced the heat over the handling of a delayed flight after a Kolkata-based passenger took to LinkedIn to express his disappointment, reported Hindustan Times. He even called the crew 'extremely uncooperative and rude'.

According to the report, the passenger, Ritham Bhattacharjee, also shared a video of a heated exchange with the cabin crew and described service as 'appalling'. Bhattacharjee also criticised the staff's unprofessional behaviour.

IndiGo's response:

Replying to Bhattacharjee’s post with a standard apology, Indigo said, "Mr Bhattacharjee, thank you for taking the time to speak with us and allowing us to address the matter. We understand the inconvenience caused by the flight delay due to adverse weather conditions in Kolkata. As part of our efforts to keep everyone informed, travel advisories were shared, and notifications were sent to the registered contact number. Our crew also ensured that refreshments were provided, and water was served multiple times during the wait. Additionally, we assure you that your feedback regarding the crew has been shared internally for a thorough review. At IndiGo, we remain committed to delivering a courteous and hassle-free travel experience and look forward to welcoming you onboard again soon."

It added, "Hi, this is certainly not the kind of experience we'd like our customers to have. Please allow us some time, our team will connect with you shortly.”