Over 100 flyers of an Air India flight bound for New Delhi were stranded in Phuket, Thailand, for four days due to a technical issue with the aircraft. Many passengers took to social media to share their ordeal and claimed that they did not receive adequate support from the airline during the prolonged delay.
According to an India Today report, the flight was scheduled to take off on the night of November 16. Due to the technical issue, it was initially delayed by six hours.
After waiting for hours, the passengers were allowed to board the plane. However, an hour after boarding, the flight was abruptly canceled, and all passengers were asked to deboard. Following the initial delay and hours of waiting, the cancellation further escalated the situation.
The airline issued a statement acknowledging the cancellation and expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to the flyers.
“While our staff on the ground made an effort to minimize their inconvenience, providing all on-ground assistance, including hotel accommodation and meals, some of the guests were also re-accommodated on alternatively available flights. 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 the top priority,” Air India said in its response.
However, social media posts by passengers tell a different story. One passenger claimed in a post that there were no timely updates from the airline about the situation.
The situation deteriorated further when passengers were told that the same aircraft had been repaired and was ready to fly. Although the flight departed after a two-day delay, it had to turn back to Phuket approximately two-and-a-half hours into the journey due to another technical problem, leaving the passengers stranded once more.
Although Air India assured passengers of accommodations, several travelers reported delays and confusion in receiving hotel arrangements and meals.