Mumbai staff strike, ‘bird-hit’: AI passengers stranded for 8 hours

Bhopal: Passengers on board an Air India flight from Mumbai to Bhopal were in for a nightmarish experience on Monday, as the aircraft arrived more than five hours behind schedule and ran into further ground delays spanning another three hours after technicians checked for a suspected bird strike, leaving the fliers frustrated and scrambling to reach onward destinations.Of the 161 passengers scheduled to board the Air India flight AI 634 from Bhopal, 80 cancelled their tickets because the inspection for a suspected bird-hit ate up hours at the Raja Bhoj International Airport.Scheduled to land in the city at 1.40 pm, the flight finally touched down at around 5.35 pm, according to passengers and airport sources.Recounting their unsavoury flight experience, the passengers said the disruption started with reports of a ground staff strike at Mumbai’s terminal, adding that communication between both airports over the delayed arrival was inconsistent throughout the afternoon, compounding their woes.‘Arrived At Airport Around Noon, Departed At 9PM’“I arrived at the airport around 12 noon and had since been stranded here. We were finally told that the flight would depart around 9pm,” Palash Patel, a Bhopal-based businessman, told TOI, adding, “We were kept in the dark for hours.”Several passengers vented out their mounting frustration as updates over the revised flight schedule were sporadic and vague.Passengers who boarded the Bhopal flight at around 7.10 pm, remained seated inside the aircraft for nearly two hours, Patel said, adding, “The journey was nothing short of a nightmare.”Suspected Bird-Hit Flies By, Bringing Further DelaysAirport officials confirmed the aircraft underwent a thorough inspection after arrival amid reports of a suspected bird-hit. “There was talk of a suspected bird-hit on arrival,” Ramjee Awasthi, the director of Bhopal airport, told TOI, adding, “A thorough inspection had to be carried out as per protocol before the flight to be cleared for its next destination.”“As part of the standard safety protocol, the aircraft was checked end-to-end before taking off. However, there was no confirmation of a bird-hit,” the airport director said. The prolonged delay triggered unrest in the departure area, with some travellers creating commotion demanding clearer information and assistance.As the chorus of protests grew louder, the airline staff ultimately arranged alternate routing for a limited number of affected passengers.‘Incurred Extra Costs’Several fliers were rebooked onto another airline, in a flight routed via Delhi that departed later in the evening.Those rerouted said the detour added hours to their journeys and incurred extra local transfer costs.“People were tired and anxious. Some elderly passengers could not wait any longer,” one passenger said. “They said passenger safety was their top priority and inspections are mandatory after a suspected bird strike,” another said.Air India officials did not immediately provide a detailed comment on the cause for the initial delay in Mumbai or the number of passengers rerouted. Airport authorities advised travellers to monitor official airline communications for updates, saying that an inquiry would be conducted into the incident following standard procedures.The disruption yet again put the spotlight on persistent challenges to ground handling continuity and the need for clearer passenger communication during operational disruptions.