Air India Flight Delayed By 20 Hours, People Fainted With No AC, Say Fliers

New Delhi : A passenger of an Air India flight alleged some people fainted inside the aircraft, which had no air-conditioning, after a delay of over eight hours on Thursday. The flight to San Francisco, which was supposed to take off yesterday afternoon, will depart at 11 am today, after a delay of over 20 hours.On Thursday, Shweta Punj, a journalist, in a post on X, said flight No. AI 183 was later by over eight hours, and “people were made to board the plane and sit without air-conditioning” at Delhi airport.She said the passengers were then told to exit the aircraft after some of them fainted.Delhi is experiencing a severe heatwave, with the temperature reaching a record 52.9 degree Celsius on Wednesday.”If there is a privatisation story that has failed it is Air India. DGCA [aviation regulator] AI 183 flight has been delayed for over eight hours, passengers were made to board the plane without air-conditioning, and then deplaned after some people fainted in the flight. This is inhuman,” Ms Punj said in the post on X, tagging Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.The Air India X handle responded to her: “Dear Ms. Punj, we truly regret to note the disruptions. Please be rest assured that our team is actively working to address the delay and appreciate your ongoing support and understanding. We are also alerting our team to provide necessary assistance to the passengers.”Another passenger, Abhishek Sharma, appealed to the airline for swift action and drew its attention to let his parents and “numerous other parents stranded at the boarding area [to] go home”.