Air India flight from London made an emergency landing in Jaipur due to poor weather conditions in Delhi, leaving approximately 350 passengers stranded for over three hours. The AI-112 flight, scheduled to arrive in Delhi at 4 am on Sunday, was diverted to Jaipur as inclement weather persisted near the capital.
Expressing their frustration on Twitter, one of the passengers wrote, "Passengers of @airindia AI112 flying from London to Delhi have been diverted to Jaipur due to bad weather but passengers have not been assisted with any recourse to reaching their final destinations. @JM_Scindia please assist us urgently. We did manage to speak with @Ra_THORe despite which we have received no assistance from the authorities at #JaipurAirport."
In response to the tweet, Air India claimed that their crew was doing their best to alleviate the discomfort of the passengers.
An Air India representative acknowledged the inconvenience caused to travellers and explained the extended delay was caused as pilots reached Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL).
"While the aircraft was awaiting improved weather conditions in Delhi to resume its journey, the cockpit crew reached their FDTL and could no longer operate the flight, as stipulated by regulatory authorities," the airline said on the delay.
"Air India places utmost priority on the safety of its passengers and crew, strictly adhering to operational regulations. We immediately arranged for a fresh crew to operate the flight. Passengers were provided with refreshments after completing mandatory immigration clearance at Jaipur airport, and they were subsequently flown to Delhi at 2 pm," the statement by Air India read.