Standoff on Jet flight after failed take-offs

Flight 9W010, carrying over 100 passengers, first attempted to take off at 9.50 am from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. When it failed, the aircraft returned to the parking bay and again attempted a take-off around 12 pm.

The second attempt too proved unsuccessful and the aircraft was forced to return to the bay. Passengers claimed they sat inside the aircraft all this while without much knowledge of what the delays were for, and without food and water.

Roshini Shah (28) and her husband Bhavesh, who were headed to Sydney with another couple for a 21-day vacation, alleged they were left stranded in the aircraft for eight hours without food and water. “We did not know what was happening and the crew was not helpful. At 1.30 pm, they asked passengers heading to Singapore to deplane and take the rescheduled flight.

Those with connecting flights were told to stay in Singapore for three days before the airline could arrange for tickets. We refused to deplane as the airline was misleading us since most of us had checked for tickets online,” said Shah, a doctor from Nana Chowk in Grant Road.

“How can we stay in Singapore for three days with a transit visa that permits us to stay for only 24 hours?” Shah said, adding that the negotiation between the airline and the passengers went on till 5 pm.

A Jet Airways spokesperson said the flight returned to bay twice following a technical snag and was rescheduled. “With a change of aircraft and certain guests travelling beyond Singapore choosing not to fly, the rescheduled flight took off for its destination after a four-hour delay,” the spokesperson said.

The infuriated passengers deplaned only after the Jet Airways promised to accommodate them at a local hotel in the city and arrange for tickets to Australia and New Zealand.