Passengers on an AirAsia India flight travelling from Kolkata to Bagdogra got into a scuffle with airline staff over deplaning them after the flight was delayed by over four hours.
“The flight was scheduled to depart at 9 am and was initially delayed by 30 minutes. After boarding, we kept sitting inside the aircraft for one-and-a-half hours with no food or water at all,” a passenger told the media. The flight captain then instructed all passengers to deboard without any explanation, he added.
“When passengers refused to deboard due to heavy rains outside, the captain put the air-conditioning blower on full blast to hound the passengers out. It created a scary scene as the heavy fog was created inside the plane and it was very suffocating,” Dipankar Ray, a passenger, said.
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He further said that many women passengers started vomiting and children were crying.
In a video that he uploaded on his Facebook profile, it was seen that passengers were arguing with onboard staff for switching off the blower.
When contacted, AirAsia India issued a statement and accepted that the flight was delayed and expressed regrets.
“AirAsia India would like to confirm that flight i5583 from Kolkata to Bagdogra was delayed by 4.5 hours due to a technical requirement. AirAsia regrets the inconvenience caused to guests on account of this disruption and would like to reinstate that the airline always prioritises safety above all,” the company said.
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It further said that there was no danger to any of the occupants onboard the aircraft as the cool conditioned air being circulated was condensing.
“This is a normal occurrence onboard all aircraft when the air conditioning is operated in high humidity conditions,” the statement said.
The company also claimed that all the affected guests were offered refreshments and provided with alternate arrangements requested for.