Milan: While Indian cities were ablaze with light in celebration of Diwali, 255 passengers on an Air India Dreamliner were left in the dark, foggy Milan kept them from their festive homecoming, which was disrupted by a sudden technical glitch.
The cancellation of flight AI, 138 from Malpensa Airport to Delhi on October 17 has been the cause of this turn of events that made traveling a joyous journey impossible, hence, more than 250 passengers along with 10 crew members are stuck in Italy waiting for the next flight while families at home continue to light diyas as per their custom.
The long haul Boeing 787 Dreamliner, with the serial number VT, ANN, has experienced various issues during its journeys, and this time it was met with an unspecified malfunction that caused it to abort the takeoff. As a first safety measure, the airline Air India took the plane out of service which left the passengers stranded after the announcement of the incident. “We regret the inconvenience caused during this festive season, ” said the spokesperson of the airline, confirming that every affected passenger has been given hotel accommodation as soon as possible, although due to the limited number of places it is sometimes difficult to find hotels near the airport. Food and necessities were given to them, nevertheless, the atmosphere deteriorated with the approach of visa expiration dates.
One traveler, anxious and nervous, had his mind overloaded with worries because his Schengen visa would expire on October 20. Air India did not waste any time in making alternative plans for this person so as to assure a quick return to India years before the expiration date. What is more, the rest of the people will be rerouted on Oct 20 or after depending on how many seats are available on Air India and cooperating airlines. “We are dedicated to the safety of our passengers and crew,” said the spokesperson, promising full assistance until every friendly hello is exchanged at the airport.
This time it is not the first trouble for the Dreamliner; it has raised concerns about the maintenance department because there were incidents on long routes in the past. As people who are now stuck go through posts on social media sites showing Diwali feasts, they cannot help but wonder: Will Air India speeding up repairs to regain customer trust? At the moment, what should have been the festival of lights has been overshadowed by the story of the delayed flights, which highlights how unsteady air travel is during the peak holiday period.