Passenger Discomfort Leads to Show Cause Notice For National Carrier
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a show cause notice to Air India regarding recent incidents where passengers apparently faced significant discomfort due to prolonged flight delays.
In the notice, the aviation regulator cited two instances from the past week involving lengthy postponements of long-haul services. Sources indicated the notice was issued after the Civil Aviation Minister took note of delays and the ensuing passenger inconvenience expressed on social media.
The notice referred to flight AI-179 from Mumbai to San Francisco on May 24th and AI-183 from Delhi to the same destination on May 30th. In the second case, passengers boarded only for deplaning later when some reportedly fainted inside the aircraft as the air conditioning was not operational despite boarding having commenced.
After hours stuck at the airport, Air India accommodated affected travelers overnight while rescheduling the flight to the following day.
The regulator highlighted Air India’s repeated failure to take due care of passengers or comply with regulations regarding support in cases such as denied boarding or canceled/delayed flights.
The airline has been given three days to submit a response explaining why enforcement action should not be initiated, otherwise the matter will be handled without their input.
