Air India Receives DGCA's Show Cause Notice Following 20-Hour Delay of Delhi to San Francisco Flight

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a show cause notice to Air India after its Delhi to San Francisco flight experienced a 24-hour delay. This delay, along with inadequate cooling inside the aircraft, resulted in discomfort for numerous passengers.

This notice comes hours after Air India passengers endured discomfort on a Delhi-San Francisco flight due to inadequate cooling in the cabin. A San Francisco-bound flight from the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport was delayed for over 20 hours. Flight AI 183, was originally scheduled to take off at 3:20 on Thursday.

During the inordinate delay, the passengers were allegedly made to wait without proper air-conditioning, causing several flyers to faint. Reporting about the delay, a passenger Shweta Punj took to X and said that it was only after some passengers fainted that the airline allowed others to exit the aircraft.

Whereas, it has come to the notice of DGCA that flight Al-179 dated 24.05.2024 and flight Al-183 dated 30.05.2024 were inordinately delayed and passengers were put to discomfort due to insufficient cooling in the cabin. Further, repeated incidences of passengers being put to discomfort by M/s Air India in violation of various DGCA CAR provisions have come to notice," the DGCA notice read.

Whereas perusal of available information reveals that M/s Air India has violated the provisions of Para 3.4 and Para 3.8 of CAR Section 3, Series M, Part IV on Facilities to be provided to passengers by airlines due to denied boarding, cancellation of flights and delays in flights. M/s Air India is time and again failing in taking due care of passengers and compliance of aforementioned CAR," it added.

The DGCA also asked “why enforcement action shall not be initiated against the airline for the aforesaid violation." “The reply of M/s Air India should reach this office within 03 days from the date of issue of this notice, failing which, the matter would be processed ex-parte," it added.