An Air India flight, AI129, set to depart from Mumbai to London’s Heathrow Airport at 6:30 am on Saturday, faced a significant delay of seven hours due to a technical snag detected shortly before its scheduled takeoff at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. As a result, the flight was rescheduled to depart at 1 pm.
In a statement, Air India confirmed the delay, citing technical difficulties that led to passengers boarding later than the original time. Initially, boarding commenced around 6 am, roughly 40 minutes after its planned start. However, after all passengers were seated, the aircraft remained on the tarmac for over an hour before crew members alerted them to the technical problem, subsequently instructing everyone to safely deboard.
By 8:15 am, passengers were required to exit the aircraft for further security checks, including the re-inspection of hand baggage. Many travelers expressed frustration over the extended delay and the insufficient communication from the airline, particularly since they had remained awake for the early morning flight.
An Air India spokesperson explained that the flight had to return to the bay shortly after pushback due to the suspected technical issue. Passengers were disembarked while checks were conducted on the aircraft. The spokesperson acknowledged that the crew had reached their mandatory Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL), which prevented them from operating the flight immediately.
“We regret the inconvenience caused to passengers due to this unforeseen situation. Our ground team in Mumbai is providing immediate assistance, including serving meals and ensuring passenger comfort. The safety and wellbeing of passengers remain our top priority,” the spokesperson added.
While the airline arranged for refreshments and meals during the wait, the incident occurred just one day after a major air traffic control glitch at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport disrupted over 800 flights across the country, including some at Mumbai airport. Although flight operations returned to normal by Friday evening, the aftereffects caused some flights including AI129 to continue experiencing delays on Saturday.
Despite the challenges faced, Air India is making all necessary efforts to expedite travel for its passengers, ensuring they reach their destination safely and comfortably.