Air India flight AI909 from Mumbai to Dubai faced a significant delay of over 4 hours due to a technical glitch. Passengers were deboarded after protesting inside the aircraft. A replacement aircraft has been assigned, with an estimated departure at 4 PM
File Pic
Air India flight AI909 (Mumbai-Dubai) has been delayed for over 4 hours and 45 minutes (as of 1:15 PM). The flight was originally scheduled to depart at 8:25 AM, with boarding starting at 7:20 AM.
ADVERTISEMENT
According to sources, "the aircraft faced a technical issue, which the on-ground team tried to resolve. The pilots later requested a pushback but cancelled the request as the issue persisted. Passengers were deboarded around 1 PM after they started protesting inside the aircraft."
Sources further disclosed, "following the deboarding, the aircraft was declared AOG (aircraft on ground), and a replacement aircraft has been designated for the route. The replacement aircraft will arrive in Mumbai shortly."
According to ATC sources, "the new estimated time of departure for Air India's Mumbai-Dubai flight AI909 is 4 PM."
Kavin Shah, a passenger onboard, told Midday, "we boarded the aircraft around 7:30 AM. There was no movement until 9 AM. Later, an announcement was made that there was a technical issue, and the staff was trying to resolve it. Around 10 AM, another announcement stated that the issue was still persisting and engineers had been called in. Around 12 PM, we started panicking as the air conditioning wasn’t working, and the doors were closed, causing suffocation. Passengers staged a protest inside the aircraft, after which we were allowed to deboard."
He added, "now we’re unsure what the next steps will be as the delay is much longer, and there has been no communication from the airline since the deboarding."
Midday has sent an official query to Air India for a statement, which has been acknowledged by the airline spokesperson.
An official statement is awaited.
Fourth major delay hits India-Istanbul flights in two months
Within two months, this is the fourth major disruption in the India-Istanbul sector. On Thursday, Indigo flight 6E11 (Delhi-Istanbul) was delayed for over 18 hours. The passengers alleged that they were made to wait at the airport for hours before the airline arranged for accommodation. The flight was scheduled to depart at 6.40 am on January 23 but departed at 1.20 am on January 24. This led to many missing connecting flights.
A passenger said, “The airline is responsible for the passengers in case of delays. This was not a delay caused by the fog as well. We were told that there was a technical issue but does it take 18 hours to solve a technical issue?”
The passenger added, “The airline could have easily arranged for an alternate aircraft in this timeframe and the delay could have been reduced. Many were supposed to board a connecting flight from Istanbul which they missed.”
This is not the first time the India-Istanbul sector faced massive delays. On December 28, 2024, Indigo flight 6E17 (Mumbai to Istanbul) faced a 16 hours delay. and passengers were stuck inside the terminal building. The passengers had to go through security checks three times as they were boarded on the aircraft twice and then deboarded before they were allowed to board for the third for departure.
On December 11, 2024, an IndiGo flight from Istanbul to Mumbai was delayed for over two days with the passengers being stranded at Istanbul airport. On December 13 an IndiGo flight from Istanbul to Delhi was also delayed. The number of passengers stranded at Istanbul airport back then surpassed 400. The situation was such that the Consulate General of India in Istanbul had to step in. IndiGo sent two aircraft from India to Istanbul to bring passengers.
After the latest incident, passengers expressed concerns about frequent delays on flights between Istanbul and India. A passenger stranded in Delhi during the latest 18-hour delay on Thursday told mid-day, “I’m not sure what’s going wrong on this route. Flights in this sector have faced significant delays over the past month. Why is this route one of the most affected?”
Why are connecing flights missed if a flight to Istanbul gets delayed?
Istanbul Airport serves as a hub for connecting flights from India to a wide range of countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, primarily due to its strategic location between continents and its status as a major hub for Turkish Airlines. Particularly prominent destinations are countries like Germany, France, UK, Saudi Arabia and UAE. Istanbul Airport, which opened in 2018, has been revealed as the world’s best-connected airport in August 2024, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
