NEW DELHI: It was a journey to forget for the 228 passengers on board Air India’s San Francisco–Delhi Boeing 777 flight that was diverted to Mongolia after a technical snag was detected midair on Monday. The airline arranged an alternative flight from Delhi to the New Ulaanbaatar International Airport on Wednesday to bring back stranded passengers. What was meant to be a 16-hour flight turned into a 60-hour ordeal.
Ironically, more than 60% of the passengers were elderly parents whose children had booked them on Air India flight AI 174, as it was a direct service to Delhi and considered the safest option.
Recalling the incident, a young woman passenger, who requested anonymity, told TNIE: “I was sleeping when a loud sound on the left side of the aircraft woke me up. One of the passengers with a technical background alerted a crew member that it was an engine problem and needed to be taken seriously. Soon after, the captain announced that the flight was being diverted to Mongolia to resolve the issue.”
Passengers were told to remain seated and strapped in as the aircraft encountered turbulence before landing.
“This caused enormous fear among all, including myself, as the Ahmedabad plane crash is still on my mind. A woman removed her two-month-old baby from the bassinet, wrapped him in a blanket, and held him close saying, ‘I want to protect my little one, whatever happens.’ For a while, the aircraft shook, but thankfully it landed safely,” she said.
Once on the ground, engineers attempted to fix the fault. A few hours later, the captain announced that the aircraft had been declared “unsafe” and that passengers would be deboarded and taken on another flight.
“Half an hour later, another announcement was made saying the crew were coming down to rectify the technical fault. Some passengers began arguing, saying they were apprehensive about flying again without clarity on safety,” the woman recalled.
Passengers were eventually deboarded, and their visas were stamped by immigration authorities to enter Mongolia. “The Indian embassy came to our rescue and helped enormously, as many elderly passengers only knew their mother tongue,” she said. After around six and a half hours, passengers were taken by bus to two hotels.
“It was 2 a.m. when our bus reached the Holiday Inn. The bus dropped us on the road, and in freezing temperatures of minus seven degrees, people had to drag their luggage and walk about 300 metres to the hotel. An elderly man tripped and fell. Many were shivering and went out the next morning to buy woollens. The meals provided were minimal — basic vegetables and rice — though the hotel staff, despite being few, were helpful. Hundreds of calls from worried children rang through the night,” she said.
After multiple schedule changes, the replacement flight is finally set to leave Mongolia. Many passengers voiced the same sentiment: “We will never travel through Air India again.”
An Air India representative said, “Given the circumstances, we did the best that we could. We do not have a base there and have never flown there.”
