Passengers aboard an Air India Express flight from Pune to Chandigarh were made to wait inside the aircraft for almost three hours on Sunday before the service was cancelled following the detection of a suspected bird hit.
The flight was scheduled to leave Pune at 3:45 am and arrive in Chandigarh at 6:05 am.
Airline sources said the aircraft had arrived in Pune from Chandigarh and was due to operate the return service later that morning. During a routine pre-departure inspection, however, engineers reportedly noticed signs of a suspected bird hit while carrying out a walkaround check. “If the issue had been identified earlier, we would have stopped the boarding in the beginning itself,” an airline source told the Indian Express.
The airline attempted to address the technical problem, but the efforts did not resolve the issue, leading to the eventual cancellation of the flight. Passengers were subsequently asked to leave the aircraft.
One of the passengers later shared details of the experience on X, alleging that those onboard were kept waiting for an extended period before the cancellation was announced. “Flyers were kept waiting inside the aircraft for three hours before being informed of the cancellation. The airline didn’t offer an alternate flight, and the staff were unwilling to come and address passenger concerns directly. Though the ground staff communicated, no one took accountability,” he said. He added that the disruption had spoiled a trip that had been planned for several years and involved an expenditure of Rs 90,000.
Responding to the complaints, the airline said, “We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused and completely understand the frustration regarding the prolonged wait onboard and the subsequent flight cancellation due to a technical issue,” noting that “refreshments, along with options for rescheduling and full refunds without any additional charge, had been offered to affected passengers.”
The latest incident comes amid another recent disruption involving Air India Express. On August 19, an Air India Express service operating from Amritsar to Pune was cancelled after the aircraft reportedly encountered a suspected bird hit shortly after take-off. Airline sources said the flight was scheduled to depart Amritsar at 4:25 am and reach Pune at 6:55 am.
“However, the aircraft was forced to return to Amritsar after a suspected bird strike and was later withdrawn from service for technical inspection. As a result, the flight was cancelled and did not operate to Pune,” an airline source said. The incident also disrupted another service, as the airline subsequently cancelled a Pune-Delhi flight that was scheduled to use the same aircraft.
