Technical snags and delayed flights have become commonplace for Air India, so when a Cochin-Mumbai flight was cancelled on Tuesday for the same reason, it was hardly surprising. But the fliers were taken aback when they finally reached Mumbai Airport, only to be held there for two hours because officials insisted that they go through Immigration and Customs.
It all began when a technical issue caused flight AI682 (Cochin-Mumbai) to be cancelled. The flight was to depart at 8.25 am and land here at 10.30 am. However, all 128 passengers were accommodated in the next flight out to Mumbai that finally landed at 12.10 pm. Already delayed by an hour and a half, the fliers received a rude shock when they were told their baggage would not be released until they had cleared Immigration and Customs as they had boarded an international flight that had stopped for a layover in Cochin before heading to Mumbai. Read Story: Hydraulic failure forces Air India plane to make emergency landing According to the airport officials, anyone who travels in an international flight – even from one domestic port to another — is technically an international flier and has to pass through all the international clearances. “We couldn’t understand what was happening with our luggage. We were made to wait for two hours,” said a passenger requesting anonymity.
05/11/15 Neha LM Tripathi/Mid Day
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It all began when a technical issue caused flight AI682 (Cochin-Mumbai) to be cancelled. The flight was to depart at 8.25 am and land here at 10.30 am. However, all 128 passengers were accommodated in the next flight out to Mumbai that finally landed at 12.10 pm. Already delayed by an hour and a half, the fliers received a rude shock when they were told their baggage would not be released until they had cleared Immigration and Customs as they had boarded an international flight that had stopped for a layover in Cochin before heading to Mumbai. Read Story: Hydraulic failure forces Air India plane to make emergency landing According to the airport officials, anyone who travels in an international flight – even from one domestic port to another — is technically an international flier and has to pass through all the international clearances. “We couldn’t understand what was happening with our luggage. We were made to wait for two hours,” said a passenger requesting anonymity.
05/11/15 Neha LM Tripathi/Mid Day
