Air India Express Flight Delay Strands 200 Passengers Inside Aircraft for 7Hours

Flight delays have become an unfortunate but frequent occurrence at airports around the world, and one such incident left around 200 passengers of an Air India Express flight (IX-1176) stranded for hours on board before eventually being deboarded and having to go through security checks again.

The flight, which was initially scheduled to depart from Delhi Airport at 9:40 PM on Friday, was heavily delayed due to technical issues, leaving passengers stuck in uncomfortable circumstances.

The aircraft, which was bound for Pune, finally took off at 7:30 AM the next day, much later than its original 11:50 PM arrival time. During the delay, passengers, including many senior citizens, grew frustrated as they were not allowed to return to the terminal for rest, leading to frequent arguments between the passengers and the airline crew.

According to reports, they were instead asked to wait inside the aircraft for hours before being deboarded at 5:30 AM on Saturday due to a technical issue with the plane.

Once off the aircraft, passengers were loaded onto buses and moved around the airport area for some time before being dropped off at the terminal building.

As part of the process, they were required to go through security checks again, which added another two hours to the already long wait. Surprisingly, after all the hassle, the passengers were asked to board the same aircraft once again to continue their journey to Pune, which eventually landed around 10 AM on Saturday.

The situation was worsened by dense fog and low visibility, which caused widespread delays at airports across India. At Pune Airport, for instance, over 32 flights were delayed between midnight and noon on Saturday. Flight delays from Delhi were particularly troublesome, with most flights facing delays of three to five hours.