JAIPUR: Barely a week after the tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad, an Air India Express flight from Jaipur to Dubai was cancelled at the last moment on Monday due to a technical fault detected in the cockpit just before take-off.
The 189-seater Boeing 737 Max 800, operating as flight IX 195, was preparing for departure with 130 passengers on board. The flight, originally scheduled to take off at 5:30 am, had reached the taxiway by 6:00 am running approximately 30 minutes behind schedule.
However, just before take-off at around 6:05 am, the pilot identified a technical snag. He promptly informed Air Traffic Control and brought the aircraft back to the apron from the runway area. According to sources at Jaipur Airport, the pilot twice attempted to take the aircraft to the runway before ultimately deciding at 6:30 am that it was unfit to fly.
Despite efforts to rectify the issue, technicians were unable to resolve the fault even after working on the aircraft for five hours. Eventually, around 11:15 am, the decision was made to cancel the flight.
In a highly questionable move, passengers were reportedly kept seated inside the aircraft on the apron throughout this five-hour ordeal.
While Air India Express has announced that all affected passengers will receive a full ticket refund, serious concerns remain. The airline has yet to clarify how it intends to compensate passengers for the stress, inconvenience, and potential financial losses incurred due to disrupted travel plans.
This incident raises renewed concerns over operational safety and passenger handling by airlines, especially in light of the recent aviation tragedy in Ahmedabad.