CHENNAI: Passengers travelling on Air India flights from Chennai faced severe inconvenience on Thursday as at least six flights to Singapore, Delhi and Mumbai were delayed by over two hours, reportedly due to operational reasons.
Which flights were cancelled from Chennai airport
According to airport sources, an Air India flight scheduled to depart for Singapore at 1 am was delayed by more than two hours and eventually took off at 3.10 am. Another Singapore-bound flight, slated to leave at 5.40 am, departed only at 7.40 am.
Similarly, a Chennai–Delhi flight scheduled for departure at 6.50 am took off at 9.15 am, while another Delhi-bound service scheduled at 9.50 am departed late at 10.55 am.
Delays were also reported on Mumbai-bound services. A flight scheduled to depart at 7.15 am finally took off at 10 am, while another flight scheduled for 11.40 am departed at 1.15 pm.
Why were flights from Chennai airport cancelled?
In total, six Air India flights operating from Chennai between early morning and noon were delayed by around two hours each. While airline officials cited “operational reasons” for the delays, sources indicated that the disruptions were caused by the non-availability of pilots.
Passengers alleged that they were not given prior intimation about the delays, leading to chaos at the airport. Several travellers were scheduled to board connecting international flights from Singapore to Australia, and from Delhi and Mumbai to the US and Europe. Many passengers were seen arguing with airline staff.
When questioned, Air India officials maintained that the delays were due to administrative reasons. However, the repeated disruptions caused considerable hardship and distress to passengers at Chennai airport.