Patna: An Air India flight from Patna to Delhi was delayed by more than seven hours on Monday, leaving passengers stranded and furious at Patna airport. Flight AI 2634, scheduled to depart at 10.40 am, finally took off at 5.55 pm after an engineer was flown in from Delhi to fix a technical fault.
The aircraft, carrying 155 passengers, developed a sudden technical issue before take-off. According to passengers, they were not informed about the cause of the delay or its expected duration. Many complained of confusion and mismanagement as they were repeatedly asked to move in and out of the security area without clear instructions.
“There is a lot of trouble. The flight was in the morning. No one is giving the correct information as to why the flight is delayed. Sometimes they are asking me to go out and sometimes to come in. Finally, I cancelled my ticket. This is my last journey on Air India. I will never travel by it again,” said Rahul Kumar, who was among the 35 passengers who cancelled their tickets.
The boarding passes had been issued early in the day, but passengers were not allowed to board, leading to protests at the airport. CISF personnel intervened to pacify the crowd. Eventually, after nearly six hours of repair work, the plane departed with 120 passengers on board.
This incident highlights ongoing operational challenges at Patna airport, where the number of flights has reduced from 45 pairs to 34 pairs since the end of the peak travel season. Flight delays and cancellations have become frequent, with passengers repeatedly facing uncertainty over their travel plans.
