More than 130 passengers aboard Air India Express flight IX 164 coming from Muscat to Delhi got into serious trouble. The flight, which took off at 11:30 pm on February 17, was delayed by several hours due to technical glitches and operational problems. The passengers remained stranded at the Muscat airport terminal the whole night and the flight finally reached Delhi on the morning of 18 February. Due to this delay, those passengers who had further connecting flights from Delhi faced the most problems.
Flight delay and official statement of the airline
An airline spokesperson said that the problem arose due to a technical fault in the aircraft and the delay of the arriving flight. The plane had to be changed at the last minute due to safety reasons. The airline has claimed to provide refreshments and food facilities to the affected passengers. Apart from this, passengers were also given the option to get full refund or reschedule the ticket without any extra charge.
Details Information Flight No. IX 164 (AI-9234) Start time 17 February, 11:30 pm Arrival time 18 February, 09:31 am Number of passengers More than 130 Main reason Technical fault and delayed flight
Passengers’ rights and compensation rules
According to the rules, if there is a major delay in the flight, passengers get some special rights. Passengers are entitled to these facilities under the aviation rules of Oman and India.
According to Oman CAA rules, passengers can demand compensation for delays of more than 6 hours. According to the Indian DGCA, airlines are required to provide food and snacks to passengers if there is a delay of more than 2 hours. If the flight is delayed by more than 6 hours between 8 pm and 3 am, then hotel facilities should be provided. A special desk has been set up at Delhi Airport for those passengers whose onward journey was affected due to the delay.
In recent times, cases of such delays in Air India Express flights have increased. Earlier, between 14-16 February, a delay of 10 hours was also seen on the Mumbai-Muscat route. Due to these recurring problems, NRIs traveling between Muscat and Delhi are quite worried as it spoils both their future planning and budget.