Air India pilot refuses to fly 100 passengers including three BJP MPs from Gujarat to Delhi, here’s why

The unusual situation occurred when the pilot of the aircraft refused to fly stating he had “exceeded” his duty hours, as per Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) norms, leaving the passengers in a state of anxiety.

An unexpected disruption to a Delhi-bound Air India flight left some 100 passengers, including three BJP MPs, stranded at the Rajkot airport in Gujarat on Sunday night (July 23). The unusual situation occurred when the pilot of the aircraft refused to fly stating he had “exceeded” his duty hours, as per Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) norms, leaving the passengers in a state of anxiety.

The incident took place after passengers boarded the Air India flight, which was supposed to take off at 8.30 pm on July 23. The onboard passengers included three politicians — Rajkot MP Mohan Kundariya, Jamnagar MP Poonam Maadam, and newly-elected Rajya Sabha MP Kesaridevsinh Jhala.

Air India issues statement

However, the airline issued and a statement saying AI404 operating between Rajkot and Delhi late evening on July 23 was delayed due to an operational reason.

“Subsequently, the cockpit crew came under Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) regulations for which they could not operate the flight as per regulatory norms. The FDTL regulation is non-negotiable aspect and cannot be compromised under any circumstances,” said an Air India spokesperson

“Certain passengers who had to reach Delhi on an urgent basis were transported by road to Ahmedabad to take an Air India or codeshare flight to Delhi. The remaining passengers were offered hotel accommodation with all meals and their bookings rescheduled as per their desire including a full refund against cancellation,” the spokesperson added.

A similar incident occurred earlier this month

In a similar incident earlier this month, around 20 to 25 students were left stranded after the cancellation of Air India flight AI 186 from Vancouver to Delhi on July 2 due to some technical issue. Describing their ordeal, the University of British Columbia (UBC) students had mentioned that the flight was initially scheduled to depart from Vancouver Airport at around 10.15 a.m. on July 2 but was rescheduled twice and eventually cancelled.

Pilots grounded for inviting ‘female friend’ into cockpit
Earlier in June this year, Air India had initiated an action against two pilots for inviting a “female friend” into the cockpit of a Delhi-Leh flight. The Air India management acted against the pilot and the co-pilot soon after receiving a complaint from the cabin crew regarding an unauthorised female passenger entering the cockpit of the AI-445 aircraft.

A female friend of an AI-445 pilot entered the cockpit without following rules, and both pilots have been grounded/off-roster by Air India,” a top Air India official told the media. Responding to the incident, the Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said, “DGCA is aware of the issue and necessary action is being taken in the matter in accordance with the procedures.”

(With inputs from agencies)

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