Ahmedabad: Mumbai-bound Air India flight from Delhi, AI 887, was delayed by almost three hours on Tuesday as the two pilots didn't turn up on time, leaving passengers who had already boarded the aircraft without any communication. One of the pilots, it emerged, got delayed at a temple where he had gone for the Mahashivratri festivities. Passengers said that they boarded the plane around 9.45 am when it was scheduled for departure at 9 am. "There were no announcements and we remained seated till 11 am. We realised the pilots had not boarded the aircraft," said a passenger, Alka Shah, who had a clear view of the cockpit.
The cabin crew told the angry passengers that the ground staff had communicated the co-pilot had been delayed at a temple due to Shivratri pooja. "We gathered at the cockpit door and demanded answers but there was no-one available to provide clarity. Even before boarding, the airline changed the gates at the last moment, causing a 15-minute crowding," a passenger headed for the US via Mumbai said. The passengers said that the pilots finally took their seats at 11.40 am and the plane was on the runway at 12.15 pm, eventually landing in Mumbai at 1.45 pm instead of the scheduled 11.15 am.
19/02/15 Aditya Anand/Ahmedabad Mirror
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The cabin crew told the angry passengers that the ground staff had communicated the co-pilot had been delayed at a temple due to Shivratri pooja. "We gathered at the cockpit door and demanded answers but there was no-one available to provide clarity. Even before boarding, the airline changed the gates at the last moment, causing a 15-minute crowding," a passenger headed for the US via Mumbai said. The passengers said that the pilots finally took their seats at 11.40 am and the plane was on the runway at 12.15 pm, eventually landing in Mumbai at 1.45 pm instead of the scheduled 11.15 am.
19/02/15 Aditya Anand/Ahmedabad Mirror
