AI Faces Heat: DGCA Notice for San Francisco Flight Delays

AI in Hot Seat: DGCA Probes San Francisco Flight Delays

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a show cause notice to Air India after several passengers fainted while waiting onboard an aircraft without air-conditioning in hot Delhi. This incident occurred as the passengers were waiting for their San Francisco (SFO)-bound flight to take off on Thursday. After being allowed to disembark, the passengers had to wait at Indira Gandhi International Airport's Terminal 3 (IGIA's T3), with many sleeping on the floor, before being provided with hotel accommodations. The passengers were supposed to fly from Delhi to San Francisco on flight AI 183 at 3:30 pm on Thursday, but the flight has not taken off till now. This prolonged delay has added to the passengers' dissatisfaction with Air India's service.

The show cause notice from the ministry is related to two separate incidents of delays: AI 179 (Mumbai-SFO) on May 24 and AI 183 (Delhi-SFO) on May 30. Both flights experienced significant delays, with passengers enduring uncomfortable conditions due to inadequate cooling in the cabin. The DGCA notice highlights that Air India has repeatedly caused discomfort to passengers, violating various DGCA provisions. The airline violates regulations concerning facilities to be provided to passengers in cases of denied boarding, flight cancellations, and delays. The DGCA has called upon Air India to explain why enforcement action should not be taken against the airline for these violations. Air India has been given three days to respond to the notice, failing which the matter will be processed without their input.

The incident involving flight AI 183 began when over 200 passengers arrived at Terminal 3 on Thursday morning for their 3:30 pm departure. However, a technical issue was discovered in the Boeing 777 scheduled to operate the flight. Passenger boarding commenced at 7 pm but was halted when pilots suspected another problem with the aircraft. After an inspection, it was determined that the plane could not operate the flight and had to undergo further checks, causing the extensive delay.

In response to the delay and the ministry's notice, Air India acknowledged the situation but denied that passengers fainted inside the aircraft. The airline offered affected passengers a full refund, complimentary rescheduling, and hotel accommodations. The rescheduled departure time was set for 11 am on Friday but was further delayed. Air India did not comment on the ministry's show cause notice or the passenger grievances.