CHENNAI: Air India Express flights on the Chennai–Tiruchy–Chennai route were delayed by more than three hours on Wednesday, leaving passengers stranded at Chennai airport.

The flight from Chennai to Tiruchy, scheduled to depart at 6.50 pm on Wednesday (Aug 27), was delayed without prior announcement, causing distress among 148 passengers waiting at the domestic terminal.

With no information provided on the reason or revised timing, passengers had to wait for over three hours before the flight eventually took off at 10.20 pm, reaching Tiruchy at 11.10 pm.

The return flight from Tiruchy to Chennai, which usually departs at 8.20 pm and lands by 9.20 pm, was also affected.

The delay forced the service to leave Tiruchy only at midnight, arriving in Chennai at 12.40 am with 157 passengers onboard.

Many of the passengers were returning to Chennai after celebrating Vinayagar Chaturthi in their hometowns.

The unexpected delay left them stranded at the airport past midnight, when public transport services such as the metro, suburban trains, and buses were unavailable.