Bengaluru: An Air India Express flight with 130 passengers on board from Damman International Airport in Saudi Arabia to Mangaluru was diverted to Bengaluru on Saturday morning due to inclement weather.
Flight IX 886 finally reached Mangaluru International Airport 7.15 hours later than scheduled.
According to an Air India Express spokesperson, "Due to inclement weather, our flight from Dammam to Mangaluru was diverted to Bengaluru. In compliance with the permissible duty time limits, we organised fresh crew to operate the flight with a delay."
A source said, "The flight departed from Damman airport at 10.20 pm (local time) and was to reach Mangaluru at 6.10 am. Instead it was diverted to Kempegowda International Airport."
"It remained here for hours and finally left at 12.15 pm for Mangaluru. It reached Mangaluru airport by 1.15 pm," he added.
The airline spokesperson added, "Food and refreshments were provided to impacted guests. We regret the delay and inconvenience caused due to circumstances beyond our control."
A security source at Kempegowda International Airport confirmed the incident.