Air India’s Mumbai–London Flight Delayed By 7 Hours After Technical Glitch
Air India’s Mumbai–London flight was delayed for nearly seven hours on Saturday after a technical snag, leaving passengers stranded and frustrated.
Dozens of passengers travelling from Mumbai to London on Saturday morning faced a harrowing experience after Air India flight AI129 was delayed by almost seven hours due to a technical issue. The flight, originally scheduled to depart from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport at 6.30 am, was eventually rescheduled to 1 pm, causing major inconvenience to travellers.
Passengers voice anger on social media
Several passengers took to social media to share their ordeal, expressing anger over the prolonged delay and lack of timely communication. Some said they had arrived at the airport hours in advance, only to find themselves waiting endlessly for updates.
Airline’s response
In a brief statement, Air India confirmed that flight AI129 from Mumbai to London was delayed due to technical difficulties, adding that refreshments were provided to waiting passengers.
Mumbai | Air India flight AI129, scheduled to take off from Mumbai for London at 6.30 am, is delayed and yet to take off. Due to technical difficulties, the flight will now take off at 1 pm. Passengers have been provided with refreshments: Air India pic.twitter.com/5wfUx5BwkV
— ANI (@ANI) November 8, 2025
According to passengers, boarding began around 6 am, about 40 minutes later than planned. Once inside the aircraft, they were made to wait for nearly one and a half hours before the crew announced a technical problem had been detected. Following the announcement, everyone was asked to deboard the aircraft.
Multiple reschedules add to confusion
After disembarking around 8.15 am, passengers had to undergo hand baggage rechecks. Initially, they were told the flight would depart at noon, but the schedule was later revised again to 1 pm. The incident comes just a day after flight operations at Mumbai Airport were partially disrupted due to an air traffic control (ATC) glitch at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. Normal operations resumed by Friday evening.
The ATC snag had affected over 800 flights at the country’s busiest airport, with its ripple effects spilling over to Mumbai and several north Indian cities including Jaipur and Lucknow. Although services gradually returned to normal on Saturday, minor delays were still reported.
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