Mumbai: For the past six days, Air India's Boeing 777 aircraft that travels 12,500km from here to Newark in the US non-stop in over 15 hours has been forced to fly lighter because the monsoon weather conditions and obstacles near the airport would have otherwise made the takeoff roll and subsequent climb of this super heavy plane unsafe.
Unknown to passengers, AI has been leaving behind a large number of checked-in bags to lighten the aircraft. In a week, 84 tonnes of luggage had been left behind. On Friday's Mumbai-Newark flight 191, the airline carried 50 tonnes of such bags by reducing the quantity of fuel. A stopover had to be scheduled at Frankfurt, where the plane refuelled, and continued onwards to Newark.
"Since the last one week, there's been a crowd of disgruntled AI passengers in the customs area in Newark arguing with the airline staff, waiting to file missing baggage complaints,'' said an airline official. As per the norms, AI has to deliver each of these bags to the passengers' addresses in the US, apart from paying them a financial compensation for purchase of basic clothing and toiletries. The airline might end up spending Rs 16,000 to Rs 32,000 per passenger, estimated an official. The loss-making national carrier is in the midst of a bailout programme after the government approved a Rs 30,000-crore package to rescue the airline in April 2012.
"Due payload restrictions on account of weather issues, the baggage was left behind. Around 85% of the baggage has been sent and the balance is being sent in a day or two," the airline said.
On Friday, out of the 35 containers of bags left behind at Mumbai airport, 26 containers, amounting to about 50 tonnes, were carried onboard the Mumbai-Frankfurt-Newark flight, said an official.
15/08/15 Manju V/Times of India
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Unknown to passengers, AI has been leaving behind a large number of checked-in bags to lighten the aircraft. In a week, 84 tonnes of luggage had been left behind. On Friday's Mumbai-Newark flight 191, the airline carried 50 tonnes of such bags by reducing the quantity of fuel. A stopover had to be scheduled at Frankfurt, where the plane refuelled, and continued onwards to Newark.
"Since the last one week, there's been a crowd of disgruntled AI passengers in the customs area in Newark arguing with the airline staff, waiting to file missing baggage complaints,'' said an airline official. As per the norms, AI has to deliver each of these bags to the passengers' addresses in the US, apart from paying them a financial compensation for purchase of basic clothing and toiletries. The airline might end up spending Rs 16,000 to Rs 32,000 per passenger, estimated an official. The loss-making national carrier is in the midst of a bailout programme after the government approved a Rs 30,000-crore package to rescue the airline in April 2012.
"Due payload restrictions on account of weather issues, the baggage was left behind. Around 85% of the baggage has been sent and the balance is being sent in a day or two," the airline said.
On Friday, out of the 35 containers of bags left behind at Mumbai airport, 26 containers, amounting to about 50 tonnes, were carried onboard the Mumbai-Frankfurt-Newark flight, said an official.
15/08/15 Manju V/Times of India
