Delhi-Pune Flight: 100 Passengers Stranded Inside Plane for 2 Hours Without Pilot

In an unexpected turn of events, what was supposed to be a routine Air India flight from Delhi to Pune turned into a nightmare for over 100 passengers.

Originally scheduled for a 7:10 p.m. departure, the flight didn’t take off until 9 p.m., finally touching down in Pune around 11 p.m.

The delay left frustrated passengers questioning the two-hour wait they endured after boarding, all due to a shortage of pilots. This shocking incident has raised concerns about airline punctuality and passenger satisfaction.

Passengers aboard the flight initially received vague explanations for the delay, with the flight crew citing “operational reasons.” However, under pressure from irate passengers, they eventually admitted that the root cause of the prolonged departure was the unavailability of pilots.

Many passengers turned to social media, specifically X (formerly Twitter), to voice their grievances regarding the situation.

A user tweeted, “Air India flight AI853 scheduled at 7.10 pm is delayed. There is no firm revised departure time conveyed by the staff. The reasons are varying from tech issues to unavailability of captains. This is not expected from Air India.”

Another added, “Fed up with Air India AI853 delay. 19:10-22:00. Still lot of confusion. So many lame excuses Air India.” To this, Air India replied, “Dear Ma’am, we know delays are certainly uncomfortable and we never wish to disrupt our passenger’s travel plans. The flight is delayed due to some operational reasons. Our team is trying its best to minimize the inconvenience caused.”

“We were kept in flight for more than 1 hour because your pilot was not on time. This is really pathetic. No staff knew reason and inform passengers. It felt like kidnapped in suffocating environment. AI853- Delhi to Pune,” read a comment.

Air India’s flight delays are not isolated incidents. A few days ago, passengers on an Air India (AI) flight from Bengaluru to Mumbai endured extreme inconvenience and distress as the flight faced a nine-hour delay at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA).

To compound the situation, airline personnel purportedly declined to offer food and even drinking water to the affected passengers, exacerbating their ordeal. Sources at KIA reported that Air India initially announced a one-hour delay for Flight AI 610, originally scheduled to depart Bengaluru at 7:20 p.m. However, for the passengers, this initially communicated one-hour delay escalated into a harrowing nine-hour ordeal.