Air India Express Mumbai-Dubai flight gets delayed by 13 hours
Up to 170 passengers were left stranded at the Mumbai airport, their Air India Express flight to Dubai having been delayed by 13 hours due to a technical issue. Scheduled to depart at 3 pm on Thursday, the plane eventually left at 4 am on Friday.
In response, the Tata Group-owned Air India Express provided assistance to about 50 passengers who had special requirements, such as access to the lounge. The remaining 120 travelers were kept in the airport terminal building, according to an airline source. All 170 passengers booked for the flight were affected. Air India Express issued a statement remarking that the delay was due to a technical snag beyond its control.
In order to minimise the difficulties of the guests, dinner was served and refreshments were provided continuously. The airline also provided airport lounge facilities to the 50 guests who needed extra assistance and support. Unfortunately, it became clear that the aircraft had an engineering issue. The maintenance team estimated that it would be fixed by 7 pm. After further investigations, it was determined that the plane had to be replaced, as there were no spares available in Mumbai. This caused a progressive delay and the airline had to wait for the arrival of the plane from Jeddah-Mumbai flight.