Mumbai: Passengers of Dubai-bound Air India Express flight demand refund from airlines after delay

On Thursday, 180 passengers were stranded at Mumbai International Airport after an Air India Express flight to Dubai was delayed for more than 12 hours, reports from Mid Day stated.

The flight, which was scheduled to take off for Dubai at 3 pm on Thursday, finally left at 4 am on Friday.

According to the passengers, despite their repeated inquiries, the staff had no answers for the delay. There was also no proper food or lodging for the disgruntled passengers.

If a flight is delayed by two hours, passengers are entitled to a free lunch and refreshments, under DGCA regulations.

Some senior citizens who were on medication and had checked in their luggage with their regular dosages were not given any alternatives.

As per the report, the passengers arrived at the airport at 11 a.m; four hours before their flight to Dubai on Air India Express IX-247. They claimed that Air India Express officials informed them that they would be granted access to a lounge. However, it never happened.

"The flight was delayed due to technical issues," said an Air India Express spokesperson. He further added that the lounge was opened to about 50 passengers, including a child and a woman and that the airlines assigned an assistant to assist passengers.