Prioritising safety, passengers offered rescheduling: Air India Express on flight cancellation

Air India Express on Monday regretted the inconvenience to passengers of a Delhi-bound flight that was cancelled due to a technical snag a day ago and said it prioritises the safety of operations.

The cancellation of the flight on the Ranchi-Delhi route caused a chaotic situation at the airport here on Sunday evening, and the passengers were seen arguing with the airline's staff about rescheduling.

The low-cost carrier said it offered all possible options to passengers, including complimentary rescheduling on preferred dates.

"One of our flights from Ranchi was cancelled shortly after boarding due to a technical issue. Guests have been offered options, including re-accommodation on the next available flight with a hotel stay, complimentary rescheduling to a preferred date, or cancellation with a full refund. We regret the inconvenience while prioritising safety in every aspect of our operations," a spokesperson of the airline said.

Ranchi Airport Director RR Maurya had said that the AIX (Air India Express) 1200 from Ranchi to Delhi, which was scheduled to take off at 6 pm on Sunday, was cancelled due to a technical snag.

Maurya said some passengers were accommodated on other flights, while several others had their tickets cancelled. A few passengers were rescheduled for Monday, he had said.

A 39-year-old passenger, Faiz Anwar, had on Sunday told PTI, "We boarded the flight around 5.20 pm and waited till 7 pm when all of a sudden we were asked to deboard without providing any reason. I have to attend an important meeting in Delhi tomorrow, but they are not ready to reschedule my flight."

He claimed that there were many passengers, who had to catch connecting international flights from Delhi for the UK, the US and South Africa, but no one was there to pay heed to their requests.