Air India continues to be in the news for the wrong reasons.
Flight AI103, en route from Delhi to Washington, was on July 2 forced to halt in Vienna due to an “unexpected maintenance issue” that popped up during a scheduled fuel stop.
The concern was flagged when the standard check protocols took unusually long, prompting Air India to cancel the remaining journey to Washington.
Passengers on AI103 were deboarded and the disruption also led to the cancellation of the return flight (AI104), which had a scheduled halt in Vienna.
“Flight AI103 from Delhi to Washington, DC on 2nd July made a planned fuel stop in Vienna. During routine aircraft checks, an extended maintenance task was identified, which required rectification before the next flight and, thus, additional time for completion. Due to this, the Vienna to Washington, DC leg was cancelled, and passengers were disembarked... Consequently, flight AI104 from Washington, DC to Delhi via Vienna was also cancelled, and the affected passengers have been rebooked on alternative flights to Delhi or offered full refunds based on their preferences,” an Air India spokesperson was quoted as saying by the news agency ANI.
The airline drew sharp criticism from several stranded passengers, with some of them taking to their respective social media handles to vent their ire.
One user wrote on X: “Disgraceful! My senior citizen parents, ex-Army, are stranded at Vienna airport after booking a direct AI 103 flight from Delhi to Washington. No hotel, no food, no updates — just made to wait endlessly. Gross negligence by @airindia and @MoCA_GoI.”
Air India’s official X handle responded: “Dear Mr. Khanna, we understand and empathise with your experience. Our team is working diligently to minimise the inconvenience caused. However, we're alerting our team to look into it.”
The same user continued sharing updates with photos and videos from the Vienna airport: “The Air India Airport Manager is non cooperative. No water, Tea and for lunch each person gets 15 euro’s for food for which only gets u snacks.”
Later, he posted: “Thank you Air India for now booking my parents on a flight to Dubai (6 hours) and then a 15 hour flight to Washington. That too after a almost (sic) 1 day wait at Vienna. Can’t believe that’s the best you can do.”
Air India replied: “Dear Mr. Khanna, our endeavor has always been to provide a seamless experience throughout, however, we understand this was nowhere to what we aim for. Please note that our teams tried to the best of their abilities to assist and re-accommodate passengers to the alternate flights. Having said that, your concerns are duly noted and will be shared internally for a thorough review and improvement. We look forward to your kind understanding and hope to serve you better.”
Another user shared: “Absolutely shameful from @airindia. 7-months-pregnant sister-in-law, with a toddler, was on AI103 (Delhi–Washington via Vienna). Plane refueled 12 hrs ago in Vienna but never took off. 4 hrs stuck onboard, 4 hrs for bags, now stranded at airport—no flight, no hotel.”
Barely three weeks ago on June 14, an Air India flight bound for Vienna experienced a sudden drop in altitude shortly after takeoff from Delhi, descending 900 feet mid-air. The airline has confirmed that both pilots have been taken off duty pending the outcome of an investigation into the incident. Notably, the episode occurred just two days after another Air India flight, headed to London, crashed moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport.