AI Express passengers face 5-hour ordeal

Dhaka: Passengers aboard an Air India Express flight from Dubai to Jaipur were reportedly stranded inside the grounded aircraft for more than five hours without access to air-conditioning, food, or water. 

The incident has sparked widespread outrage and allegations of negligence against the airline.

Flight IX-196, scheduled to depart from Dubai at 7.25pm on June 13, was unable to take off on time due to a technical snag. But instead of being allowed to deboard, more than 150 passengers were allegedly kept inside the aircraft as cabin temperatures soared.

A video of the ordeal, posted by Indian dietician and social media influencer Arzoo Sethi, has since gone viral. In the video, visibly distressed passengers can be seen drenched in sweat, fanning themselves with safety cards and whatever they could find to stay cool.

“We were boarded at 7pm, but the flight’s AC never came on. My three-year-old son was soaked in sweat. Not a single attendant came to help us. 

No one gave us water, let alone food,” Sethi said in her post. “If the aircraft had a technical fault, they could’ve let us wait in the terminal. But they chose to lock us inside like this.”

Describing the experience as “horrific” and “terrifying,” Sethi publicly tagged Air India Express, saying: “This is a serious safety lapse. Please take responsibility for your passengers’ well-being before it’s too late.”

Another passenger, Ravi Kumar, echoed her concerns. “There was suffocation. The air-conditioning wasn’t working. We kept pressing the call button, but no one came. It felt like torture,” he said.

The flight finally took off at 12.44am, over five hours behind schedule and landed in Jaipur at 2.44am on June 14.

Several passengers have since taken to social media to express their outrage and demand accountability from the airline.

There has been no official response yet from Air India Express. A comment from the airline was not immediately available.

-B