TWO Air India flights from London to Delhi and London to Mumbai finally took off from the Heathrow Airport on Thursday (30), ending the chaos for hundreds of passengers after being grounded due to technical problems.
The AI162 flight to New Delhi left earlier in the day and AI130 to Mumbai left in the afternoon following a nearly 48-hour delay.
"For Air India the safety of passengers is paramount," said Debashis Golder, Regional Manager for UK and Europe for Air India.
"Wherever possible or available passengers have been transferred to an alternate carrier like some seats on BA (British Airways) or on other AI flights via Delhi or Bengaluru if so desired by passengers," he said.
The aircraft had developed a technical snag and oil leak, which the local team was unable to rectify.
An Air India engineering team which arrived from Mumbai on Wednesday (29) with the requisite components to fix the issues with the Boeing aircraft were finally able to fix the problems for take off on Thursday.
"Passengers were provided with hotel stay, all meals and transportation in case they wished to go home and come back. Full refund is allowed if wanting to cancel and change of booking to a later date is offered at no charge,” Golder added.
Many passengers took to social media to express their anger at the delay, with the Air India Twitter page filled with queries and reactions to the delay.
The airport terminals were also packed with large crowds of stranded passengers wanting to get to Delhi or Mumbai.
(PTI)
