An Instagram user recently alleged that he and his co-passengers onboard an Air India flight from Mumbai to Dubai were stuck for a long time inside a cabin with no functional air conditioning. A short clip about the same has since gone viral on the social media platform, clocking 28 million views so far. In the reel's caption, the passenger describes their "horrible experience". He wrote, "The flight that was supposed to take off at 8:25 AM was delayed for 5 hours with passengers (including toddlers and senior citizens) on board without the air condition system working. Passengers started feeling suffocated and yet the crew did not provide any relief until passengers forced them to open the gates and deboard."
In the video, we see many passengers out of their seats and crowding around the front of the cabin. One man is heard shouting clearly above all others. He says, "We don't trust you. We don't want to put our lives at stake. Please leave us." Other people are seen banging the overhead bins. Many voices are pleading with the staff to open the door. Over the intercom, someone from the flight staff replies to the passengers, "The aerobridge has to be connected. Please understand."
In the caption, the user alleged, "The captain not once came out of the cockpit to address the passengers to assuage the situation but only waited inside until passengers lost their calm after 5 hours waiting patiently." He also reflected on what such situations mean on a larger scale. "High time the aviation ministry starts to handle such incidents with the strictest of actions. Why should the passengers be always on the receiving end?" he wrote.
Disclaimer: NDTV does not vouch for the claims in the post by the Instagram user.
Here's how some Instagram users reacted to the viral video:
"There should be strict laws against making passengers wait in stuffy planes for hours
The least they can do is deboard them when it's meant to be delayed."
"5 minutes without AC feels suffocating. I really wonder how the passengers managed to survive without AC for such a long time! Must have been so traumatic!!"
"Air India does not own the airport- it's the Air traffic control who will tell us whether they have clearance to let the plane go back to the gate or not... nice the plane was already parked at the gate. It's the customs officers we need to provide security clearance to let the passengers get off the plane and back into the lounge. It's easy to target the person in front of you but you need to know they're just trying to do their job."
NDTV has reached out to Air India for a comment, but they have not yet responded.
Also Read: LinkedIn User Alleges Mistreatment Of Elderly Mother By Air India Express, Airline Responds
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