Air India has informed that it will fly back at the earliest around 30 remaining passengers who were among those stranded in Phuket for last three days after the flight from the Thailand city to Delhi was cancelled due to a technical issue, according to sources.
Over 100 passengers of a New Delhi-bound Air India flight have been stranded in Phuket, Thailand, for more than 80 hours due to what the airlines called "technical issues."
Frustrated passengers have taken to social media to express their anger and disappointment.
The flight, originally scheduled to depart on the night of November 16, was initially delayed by six hours because of a technical fault. Passengers were initially told to board the plane but were later asked to deboard, after which the flight was cancelled, according to a report by NDTV.
A replacement plane was prepared, and passengers were told it would be the same flight, with the technical issue fixed. However, after about two and a half hours in the air, the plane returned to Phuket due to another technical fault.
One passenger wrote on Facebook, "Cancelled Phuket-Delhi flight for November. Still no update from Air India. No support from the Indian Embassy. Hopeless, no one cares."
Another user posted, "There are more than 100 passengers stuck in Phuket, Thailand, due to the sheer incompetence of Air India. There are toddlers and people missing important appointments. Details: AI 377, scheduled departure on November 16, delayed, then cancelled."
In a statement on Tuesday, Air India regretted the inconvenience caused to the passengers and informed that the flight AI377 was cancelled due to a technical issue.
The source in the know said there were around 144 passengers booked in that flight and most of them have returned.
Around 30 remaining passengers will be flown back at the earliest, mostly on Wednesday, they added.
Further, the source said the technical issue in the aircraft concerned has been rectified.
"While our staff on the ground made an effort to minimise their inconvenience, providing all on-ground assistance including hotel accommodations and meals, some of the guests were also accommodated on alternatively available flights. Passengers were also offered options for full refunds on cancellation and complimentary rescheduling," the airline said in the statement.
(With inputs from PTI)