200 passengers stranded as snag grounds AI Express Flight

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Follow us:WhatsappFacebookTwitterTelegram.cls-1{fill:#4d4d4d;}.cls-2{fill:#fff;}Google NewsHow much chaos can one technical snag cause? Quite a lot apparently, as over 200 passengers were stranded at the Chennai and Tiruchy airports on Monday. The delay dragged on for 13 hours following a technical snag in an Air India Express flight (IX 682). The service that operates on the Chennai-Tiruchy-Singapore sector, normally departs from Chennai at 1.55 am, picks up travellers at Tiruchy and leaves for Singapore at 3.45 am.The sequence of events that unfolded in the wee hours of Monday were a little different, though. The flight carrying 175 passengers was delayed briefly as some technical snag was detected before it took off from Chennai, said airport sources. After it finally took off and reached Tiruchy post 3 am, the pilot realised that the snag had resurfaced. “Not wishing to take a risk, the pilot told Tiruchy ATC that he would prefer to return to Chennai and returned,” said an Air India official.As there was no back-up crew or plane available to make even the Tiruchy run, passengers were stranded as dawn broke. Almost 107 of them were only booked up to Tiruchy and so jumped at the option of taking a special bus — the five-hour journey made more sense to them over a 7-hour wait, especially because the buses were instructed to drop the passengers at home.Meanwhile, 118 passengers who were scheduled to fly to Singapore were stranded at the Tiruchy airport, and had an excruciatingly long wait. Following the inordinate delay, most of the passengers in Tiruchy, who were bound for Singapore, couldn’t leave the airport because they had already cleared customs and obtained their boarding passes. “Since we were given boarding passes, we could neither go out nor move around the airport. Around 5 am, the airport authorities informed us that the flight will arrive by 6.45 am, but it did not come until 3 pm,” said S A Kumaresan, a permanent resident of Singapore, who was concluding a visit home.As there was no sign of the flight by 10 am, agitated passengers demanded a refund, but did not find the Air India Express staff forthcoming, charged Kumaresan. Though the plane finally arrived by late afternoon on Monday, it was a little too late for a few people.first published:August 14, 2012, 11:27 ISTlast updated:August 14, 2012, 11:27 IST
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How much chaos can one technical snag cause? Quite a lot apparently, as over 200 passengers were stranded at the Chennai and Tiruchy airports on Monday. The delay dragged on for 13 hours following a technical snag in an Air India Express flight (IX 682). The service that operates on the Chennai-Tiruchy-Singapore sector, normally departs from Chennai at 1.55 am, picks up travellers at Tiruchy and leaves for Singapore at 3.45 am.

The sequence of events that unfolded in the wee hours of Monday were a little different, though. The flight carrying 175 passengers was delayed briefly as some technical snag was detected before it took off from Chennai, said airport sources. After it finally took off and reached Tiruchy post 3 am, the pilot realised that the snag had resurfaced. “Not wishing to take a risk, the pilot told Tiruchy ATC that he would prefer to return to Chennai and returned,” said an Air India official.

As there was no back-up crew or plane available to make even the Tiruchy run, passengers were stranded as dawn broke. Almost 107 of them were only booked up to Tiruchy and so jumped at the option of taking a special bus — the five-hour journey made more sense to them over a 7-hour wait, especially because the buses were instructed to drop the passengers at home.

Meanwhile, 118 passengers who were scheduled to fly to Singapore were stranded at the Tiruchy airport, and had an excruciatingly long wait. Following the inordinate delay, most of the passengers in Tiruchy, who were bound for Singapore, couldn’t leave the airport because they had already cleared customs and obtained their boarding passes. “Since we were given boarding passes, we could neither go out nor move around the airport. Around 5 am, the airport authorities informed us that the flight will arrive by 6.45 am, but it did not come until 3 pm,” said S A Kumaresan, a permanent resident of Singapore, who was concluding a visit home.

As there was no sign of the flight by 10 am, agitated passengers demanded a refund, but did not find the Air India Express staff forthcoming, charged Kumaresan. Though the plane finally arrived by late afternoon on Monday, it was a little too late for a few people.