New Delhi: Flight delays are a part and parcel of air travel. Coordination and constant updates are what help keep the passengers calm and level headed.
On December 13, an Air India flight, scheduled to take off at 6 am, was made to wait by the airline’s operation department for better visibility. The ground staff however, were not made aware of this change in plans and they proceeded to board the flight as scheduled.
Over 100 passengers, one of whom being Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju, were inside the plane for an hour and a half. Being surrounded by the increasingly annoyed passengers, the minister called up Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Pradeep Kharola and demanded to know why the plane was being delayed.
Flight AI 459 was also further delayed, reportedly, because the pilot was stopped at the security check as there was an issue with his airport pass and reached his station 15 minutes late. The co-pilot was the only one able to reach the plane on time.
As a result of the fiasco, three employees have been suspended and the pilot has been issued a warning for arriving late.
