After more than 16 hours of delay, the Air India flight scheduled to depart Delhi airport at 11 am today and travel to San Francisco has been canceled.
When describing her suffering, a passenger on Air India’s AI 183 claimed that the intense heat was the reason an elderly woman had passed out on the aircraft.
“The air conditioning on the aircraft wasn’t working when we were forced to board it after 8 p.m. The passenger reported that an elderly woman on the aircraft passed out from the heat and was taken to a hospital.
“Later, we were told to leave for the hotel, and the flight was rescheduled for 11 am today, but no update was given to us,” Suman Arora, a passenger of the flight, said.
The matter came to light after a passenger on Thursday alleged that some people fainted inside the aircraft, which had no air-conditioning, after a delay of over eight hours.
Shweta Punj, a journalist, in a post on X, said flight No. AI 183 was delayed by over eight hours, and “people were made to board the plane and sit without air-conditioning” at Delhi airport.
If there is a privatisation story that has failed it is @airindia @DGCAIndia AI 183 flight has been delayed for over 8 hours , passengers were made to board the plane without air conditioning, and then deplaned after some people fainted in the flight.This is inhuman! @JM_Scindia pic.twitter.com/86KpaOAbgb
— Shweta Punj (@shwwetapunj) May 30, 2024
Air India’s X handle responded to her, saying their “team is actively working to address the delay.”
Dear Ms. Punj, we truly regret to note the disruptions. Please be rest assured that our team is actively working to address the delay and appreciate your ongoing support and understanding. We are also alerting our team to provide necessary assistance to the passengers.
— Air India (@airindia) May 30, 2024
Images posted by many other passengers on social media showed people, including children and the elderly, sitting on the floor, with some even taking off their shoes. They appeared exhausted.
Meanwhile, another San Francisco-bound Air India flight, AI 1183, has been rescheduled for 3 pm today.
Delhi is experiencing a severe heatwave. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that 41 places recorded temperatures exceeding 45 degrees Celsius in the country on Thursday.
In January, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued guidelines to handle chaotic situations after a huge rush was seen due to fog at Delhi airport. The DGCA, in the standard operating procedure (SOP) for “facilities to be provided to passengers by airlines due to denied boarding, cancellation of flights, and delays in flights,” said that airlines may cancel flights that are likely to be delayed or “consequentially delayed” beyond three hours. The DGCA had said all airlines must follow the SOP immediately.