An Air India flight AI129, scheduled to depart from Mumbai for London’s Heathrow at 6:30 am on Saturday was grounded for seven hours due to a technical snag detected shortly before takeoff at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
"Air India flight AI129, scheduled to take off from Mumbai for London at 6.30 am, is delayed and yet to take off. Due to technical difficulties, the flight will now take off at 1 pm. Passengers have been provided with refreshments," Air India said in a statement.
According to passengers, boarding began around 6 am, about 40 minutes later than the scheduled time of 5.20 am. After everyone was seated, the aircraft remained stationary for more than an hour before the crew informed passengers of a technical problem. The travellers were then asked to deboard for safety reasons.
Around 8.15 am, all passengers were made to exit the aircraft for additional security checks, including hand baggage re-inspection. Many expressed frustration over the prolonged delay and the lack of clear communication from the airline, especially after staying awake for the early morning flight.
An Air India spokesperson said, “Flight AI129 scheduled to operate from Mumbai to London on November 8 returned to the bay shortly after pushback due to a suspected technical issue. Passengers were disembarked and the aircraft is undergoing checks. Meanwhile, the crew has come under the mandatory Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) protocol, restricting them from operating immediately.”
The spokesperson added, “We regret the inconvenience caused to passengers due to this unforeseen situation. Our ground team in Mumbai is providing immediate assistance, including serving meals and ensuring passenger comfort. Every effort is being made to fly passengers to their destination at the earliest. At Air India, the safety and wellbeing of passengers remain our top priority.”
The airline said refreshments and meals were arranged for passengers while engineers inspected the aircraft.
The incident came just a day after a major air traffic control glitch at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport disrupted over 800 flights nationwide, including some at Mumbai airport. Though operations returned to normal by Friday evening, several flights on Saturday, including AI129, continued to experience knock-on effects from the disruption.