Over 150 passengers on an Air India Express (AIX) flight from Kochi to Pune faced a delay of over eight hours on Thursday. AIX flight 9910 was scheduled to depart at 5.15pm on Thursday but took off at 1.50am on Friday, passengers said, with the airline repeatedly rescheduling the flight without clear communication or timely assistance.
The flight was earlier delayed to 7.15 pm and shifted to 9.15 pm, but the flight still did not take off.
Hari Pillai, a software engineer from Pune said The Indian Express Even after 9.15 pm, the airlines could not give any update about the flight. “After the passengers raised slogans that they were not getting help, the airline staff finally provided us with food and told us that the flight would arrive at 11:55 pm. However, the flight arrived only at 12:15 pm,’ he said.
Pillai said that he works from home but has an important meeting in the morning but is unlikely to attend due to the delay.
“When I raised the issue on social media, I saw another passenger complaining about the disruption in Bengaluru. I learned that the flight from Ayodhya to Bengaluru was cancelled, which affected the Bengaluru-Kochi flight, eventually leading to a delay for the Kochi-Pune route,” he added. .
“As we wait for the final call near the boarding gate, passengers are getting impatient to board,” he added.
Responding to Pillai’s post X, The AIX social media team said, “Thank you for sharing the details, Hari. Please accept our sincere apologies for the disruption to your flight. We understand how frustrating and inconvenient this must have been for you and your travel plans. The disruption is due to operational updates. ETD is 22:50 hrs. Our airport staff have been informed to assist all affected guests. Please feel free to contact them for any immediate assistance. For your patience and understanding Thank you.”
When contacted, an Air India Express spokesperson told The Indian Express that they were awaiting information from higher authorities about the reason for the delay. However, the spokesperson gave updates.
Click here to join Express Pune Whatsapp Channel And get a curated list of our stories