Passengers on an Air India flight from Delhi to Melbourne were left stranded after the aircraft reportedly developed multiple technical issues, which led to repeated boarding, deboarding and a delay of
more than 20 hours. Travellers, who were frustrated over the ordeal, alleged poor communication and inadequate handling of the situation by the airline.
A passenger named Srishti Dhupar took to Instagram to share that the Air India flight between Delhi and Melbourne was scheduled to depart at 3:00 AM. But the journey quickly turned exhausting after the passengers boarded the aircraft on time but remained seated inside for more than two hours before being asked to deboard due to a technical issue.
In a clip that she posted, passengers were seen confronting the cabin crew over the repeated delays. “20+ hours of delays, multiple technical issues, boarding twice, deboarding once, repeating immigration and security, and spending almost an entire day waiting just to get home,” Srishti wrote in her post.
“Safety always comes first, but the communication and overall handling of this disruption left passengers physically and mentally exhausted. Hoping no one else has to experience a journey like this.”
Another passenger’s mother took to social media to discuss the ordeal her daughter faced while being on the same Air India flight. In her post, Rashmi Jain, who is a motivational speaker, shared that the aircraft taxied toward the runway before returning to the parking bay after another technical issue was detected the next day following a delay of 20 hours.
“I want to put the spotlight on the poor handling of Air India Flight AI308 from Delhi to Melbourne, on which my daughter was travelling,” she mentioned in the post. “What followed was not just a delay—it was a complete failure in passenger communication and experience.”
She continued, “The flight was scheduled to take off at 3:00 a.m. Passengers boarded on time but were made to sit inside the aircraft for over two hours, until approximately 5:25 a.m., before being deboarded. They were then informed that the flight had been delayed by nearly 20 hours and rescheduled for 10:30 p.m. the following day.”
“When passengers returned the next evening, they boarded the aircraft again, only to face another delay. The aircraft eventually taxied to the runway but returned to the parking bay due to technical difficulties,” she said at the end of the post.
Internet Has Mixed Reactions To The Incident
The incident has sparked a range of reactions from people, with many users expressing concern over repeated technical problems and a lack of proper communication, while others acknowledged that the airline put passenger safety first rather than taking off with technical glitches in the aircraft.
One user wrote, “These issues with @airindia are consistent. This is certainly no fresh news. The best choice for everyone is to not plan their journey with this airline and choose other airlines. Pay a bit more but avoid the chaos this airline creates.”
“This story is being repeated by airline for many years. All the long-hour flights work like this. Air India is mentioned for short flights; on long journeys, they are just a failure,” another said.
An individual commented, “Air India must compensate with a full refund for wasting passengers’ time & money.”
Meanwhile, a different person said, “It always baffles me how people complain about delays due to technical issues. What do you suggest they risk it and just take off at the scheduled time? It’s a lot easier to fix an issue on the ground than it is at 30,000 feet.”
Someone else quipped, “Very understandable; however, these issues arise sometimes. We must take into account that the pilots are making these decisions just to save your lives.”
