CHENNAI: A Malaysia Airlines flight from Chennai to Kuala Lumpur was delayed by more than two hours after the pilot found that the oxygen supply on board was insufficient for all passengers.
As a safety measure, only 100 of the 178 booked passengers were allowed to board, while the remaining 78 were asked to wait at Chennai Airport and were promised seats on other flights to Malaysia.
The flight, which was scheduled to depart at 11.55 pm on Monday, finally took off at 2.20 am on Tuesday with 100 passengers and 12 crew members on board. The incident caused confusion and tension at Chennai Airport late at night.
The Malaysia Airlines flight, which operates between Kuala Lumpur and Chennai, arrived in Chennai at 10.35 pm on Monday, 15 minutes ahead of its usual arrival time of 10.50 pm.
The aircraft was scheduled to return to Kuala Lumpur at 11.55 pm with 178 passengers and 12 crew members, taking the total number of people on board to 190.
Before boarding began, the pilot carried out checks on the aircraft's systems and found that the oxygen supply was insufficient for everyone on board. Considering the safety risk, the pilot refused to operate the flight and informed the Chennai Airport control room and senior officials.
Following discussions between airport officials, the pilot, engineers and technical experts, a decision was taken to allow only 100 passengers to travel on the aircraft. The remaining 78 passengers would be sent to Malaysia on other available flights.
The first 100 passengers were selected based on their booking priority and allowed to board. The remaining passengers protested against the decision, but airline and airport officials spoke to them and assured them that alternative flights would be arranged.
The passengers later agreed to the arrangements and were accommodated in the waiting lounges at Chennai Airport.
The Malaysia Airlines flight finally departed for Kuala Lumpur at 2.20 am on Monday, carrying 100 passengers and 12 crew members, after a delay of more than two hours.