24-hour plight over delayed A-I flight

New Delhi: What should have been a four-hour flight from Delhi to Riyadh turned into a 24-hour waiting ordeal for Air India passengers on Monday.
Their flight, AI 821, was supposed to depart at 2.40 pm and passengers started streaming into IGI Airport from noon. They cleared all formalities and got ready to board the aircraft. But the plane that was supposed to take them to Riyadh did not arrive. Finally, about 5.30 pm, the airline rescheduled the flight for Tuesday afternoon.
"The passengers have been sent to a five-star hotel," said D S Kohli, executive director, Air India (Northern India). While the airline did not give any reason for the non-arrival of the aircraft, sources point out that Air India is facing a huge shortage of planes. "There are a number of new sectors now. Also, special flights are being operated for the Haj season. The shortage of aircraft is so acute that domestic operations of Air India Express, which were supposed to have commenced from October 1, have not been launched yet," said sources.
13/11/07 Times of India

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Categories: Air India - International Nov 2007, Airports Nov 2007, Foreign Nov 2007, NACIL Nov 2007