Passengers of an Air India flight bound for San Francisco from Mumbai faced significant delays on Friday, enduring over five hours of waiting inside the aircraft. Ultimately, the flight was rescheduled for Saturday.
Initially scheduled for departure at 1600 hours, the Boeing 777 aircraft experienced delays due to a technical issue. Subsequently, some passengers disembarked, and then another passenger fell ill, further prolonging the delay.
After the unwell passenger was attended to and deboarded around 1917 hours, it was realized that the flight, AI 179, would encounter night-landing restrictions upon reaching San Francisco, and the crew would exceed their flight-duty limits.
As a result, the decision was made to reschedule the flight for Saturday, with a new departure time set for 1030 hours.
The exact number of passengers onboard was not immediately available.
According to airline officials, the initial delay stemmed from a technical issue just before departure, which required engineering checks and resolution.
Subsequent delays occurred as a few passengers opted to discontinue their journey, necessitating the offloading of their baggage from the aircraft.
Despite efforts to proceed with departure, the flight returned to the parking bay at 1917 hours due to a passenger falling ill.
In light of the inconvenience caused, passengers were offered hotel accommodations, complimentary rescheduling, and full refunds, with the airline expressing regret for the disruption.