Air India today scheduled another flight from Milan to Delhi to bring back home the 256 passengers stranded in Milan since last Friday, October 17.
The passengers’ journey was delayed after their original flight AI138 was canceled due to a technical problem on Friday. The airline’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner (VT-ANN) encountered a technical problem while landing in Milan, preventing the aircraft from operating its return journey to Delhi.
The disruption left passengers stranded in Milan on their way home for Diwali.
Assistance and compensation provided
Air India said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that “Flight AI138D departs Milan at 19:00 (local time) and will arrive in Delhi on the morning of October 20.
The airline also noted that it has extended all immediate assistance to affected passengers, including hotel accommodation and meals. “Full refunds or free rescheduling were also offered according to passengers’ preference,” the post said.
The airline reaffirmed its commitment to support its passengers throughout the disruption, saying: “We remain committed to extending support and assistance to our passengers every step of the way.”
Recurring technical problems on Air India’s Milan-Delhi route
This cancellation of flight AI138 on October 17 is the latest in a series of technical disruptions on Air India’s Milan-Delhi route. A similar incident took place on August 16 this year when an Air India flight on the same route was canceled due to a technical fault that was detected during the diversion.
According to Air India, the maintenance task was identified just as the aircraft was preparing to take off. The resulting delay caused the flight crew to exceed mandatory flight duty time limitation standards, making it unsafe and impermissible for them to continue.
“Flight AI138 operating from Milan to Delhi on August 16 was canceled due to maintenance identified during the diversion and subsequently due to the crew falling under the mandatory flight duty time restriction norms,” an Air India spokesperson said.
Air India offered similar assistance in August as well, providing hotel accommodation, full refunds on cancellations or free rescheduling as per passengers’ choice. It also promised alternative arrangements for the departure of passengers to Delhi as soon as possible.
Other cases of Air India cancellations
Earlier on August 3, two Air India flights were also canceled due to technical issues. Flight AI349, which was scheduled to fly from Singapore to Chennai on Sunday 3 August, was canceled due to maintenance that was detected prior to departure and required additional time to be rectified.
Another flight, AI500, scheduled to operate from Bhubaneswar to Delhi on August 3, was also canceled due to a technical problem that caused high cabin temperature on the ground before departure, ANI reported.
