Mumbai: Recently, a frequent Jet Airways flyer and his family had a harrowing time as his daughter's three-hour flight, from Mumbai to Abu Dhabi, turned into a 16-hour ordeal.
Trilok Kamble reached Abu Dhabi airport around midnight to receive his daughter, Noopur (21), who was travelling on the flight, scheduled to land at 2am (all timings in IST). The flight 9W 586 left on time, at 10.40pm, but en route, its commander diverted it to Muscat-an alternate airport listed on the flight plan-due to inclement weather in Abu Dhabi.
"It was displayed that the flight was delayed. At 3.30am, my daughter called me and said her flight had been diverted to Muscat," said Kamble. "I called up a Jet official in Muscat, who told me the flight will depart for Abu Dhabi soon. But, my wife, who was in Mumbai, was told that the flight would return to Mumbai," he said.
At Muscat, all passengers were made to sit in the aircraft because of visa restrictions and since Noopur had exhausted the facility to make an ISD call from her phone, her parents remained clueless. Finally, at 8am, Kamble learnt that the flight had returned to Mumbai.
The flight landed in Mumbai at 8.10am and Noopur decided to disembark. Her mother reached the airport to pick her up.
24/02/13 Times of India
