John Wilbert
Port Blair, 27 July 2024:
Passengers traveling to Port Blair from Chennai on an Air India flight experienced significant disruption today. Initially scheduled for a 5:10 AM departure, the flight was delayed for unknown reasons. After finally departing from Chennai, the flight reached Port Blair but was unable to land due to adverse conditions and was diverted back to Chennai.
The flight was expected to arrive at Port Blair Airport by 7:00 AM. However, it was forced to return to Chennai, leaving passengers in both cities uncertain about their travel plans. Airline officials have indicated that a rescheduled flight might depart in the afternoon, but many passengers remain unsure about their journey.
In Port Blair, passengers who arrived at the airport early in the morning for the Air India flight were informed of multiple reschedulings. Initially told that the flight would depart at 3:00 PM, passengers have faced continuous delays and changes.
One passenger, traveling to Chennai, shared their frustration: “We arrived at the airport at 5:30 AM, and since then, the flight has been rescheduled multiple times. The original departure time was 7:45 AM, but it has been moved to 12:55 PM, then to 2:10 PM, and now to 3:10 PM. We are all stuck inside the airport, including elderly people and patients, one of whom is on a stretcher. It’s extremely stressful, especially since other flights have landed on schedule.”
Airline officials cited bad weather and strong wind pressure as the reasons for the diversion and delays. They have assured passengers that they are working on rescheduling the flight for the afternoon.
