Pune: Altogether 170 flyers on board an Air Asia flight from Pune to New Delhi were first made to wait in the aircraft for around 50 minutes and then, after 3 hours, told that it had been cancelled due to a technical delay on Sunday evening.
The flight (I5-732) was supposed to take off from Pune at 6pm. However, the “inordinate delay” left the flyers in a fix.
“The passengers are stuck, tired and frustrated... The flight was supposed to take off from Pune at 6pm. But it was delayed by around half-an-hour. We boarded the flight around 6:10pm. The flight was on the runway by 6:40pm for the take off, when the problem started,” Bhavishya Alavad, one of the flyers, said.
“Something happened at the runway and the flight did not take off. As we remained a confused lot, the flight turned back and proceeded towards a bay. It stood there with the passengers on board. When we asked, we were told that there was a technical problem. We waited in the flight at the bay for at least an hour. Around 8pm, we were asked to deplane,” he said.
“All the passengers were angry, but hoped that the airline will arrange for an alternative. We had to deplane and waited at the terminal building till 9:10pm. We then saw our luggage coming out without any notice. We were told that the flight has been cancelled,” Alavad said.
TOI sent a detailed text message and a WhatsApp message to an Air Asia spokesperson, seeking the carrier’s comment on the situation. However, there was no reply till the time of filing of this report. Sources said a senior Airports Authority of India official met the aggrieved passengers late in the night and told them that efforts were on to make an alternative arrangement.
A passenger, however, said Air Asia sent a text message around 11.30pm, stating, “Dear guest, we sincerely regret to inform that your flight I5-732 (PNQ-DEL) on April 22 is cancelled due to operational requirements. You may choose to fly on an alternative date or avail a full refund...We regret the inconvenience caused.”
23/04/18 Joy Sengupta/Times of India
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The flight (I5-732) was supposed to take off from Pune at 6pm. However, the “inordinate delay” left the flyers in a fix.
“The passengers are stuck, tired and frustrated... The flight was supposed to take off from Pune at 6pm. But it was delayed by around half-an-hour. We boarded the flight around 6:10pm. The flight was on the runway by 6:40pm for the take off, when the problem started,” Bhavishya Alavad, one of the flyers, said.
“Something happened at the runway and the flight did not take off. As we remained a confused lot, the flight turned back and proceeded towards a bay. It stood there with the passengers on board. When we asked, we were told that there was a technical problem. We waited in the flight at the bay for at least an hour. Around 8pm, we were asked to deplane,” he said.
“All the passengers were angry, but hoped that the airline will arrange for an alternative. We had to deplane and waited at the terminal building till 9:10pm. We then saw our luggage coming out without any notice. We were told that the flight has been cancelled,” Alavad said.
TOI sent a detailed text message and a WhatsApp message to an Air Asia spokesperson, seeking the carrier’s comment on the situation. However, there was no reply till the time of filing of this report. Sources said a senior Airports Authority of India official met the aggrieved passengers late in the night and told them that efforts were on to make an alternative arrangement.
A passenger, however, said Air Asia sent a text message around 11.30pm, stating, “Dear guest, we sincerely regret to inform that your flight I5-732 (PNQ-DEL) on April 22 is cancelled due to operational requirements. You may choose to fly on an alternative date or avail a full refund...We regret the inconvenience caused.”
23/04/18 Joy Sengupta/Times of India
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