‘Technical snag’ leaves over 320 VietJet passengers stranded at Mumbai airport for 20 hours

“After the announcement, we patiently waited till 3:30 am but with non-functional ACs, scarcity of food and water and lack of ventilation, many of us started feeling claustrophobic,” said Yamini Peter, a passenger who was onboard the aircraft.

Peter added, “We continuously requested the crew to deplane us but they refused to do so and kept giving us false hope that the technical issue would be resolved soon but it never did.”

After spending around six hours in the plane, the passengers were finally deplaned at 6.30 am. The passengers claimed that they did not get any help from the airline.

“A majority of the people here are going to Vietnam for vacations with their families. They made bookings in advance for hotels and connected flights that are non-refundable. Some people are bearing losses to the tune of Rs 30,000 because of the delay,” said another passenger Vidya Vishwanathan.

The airline rescheduled the flight to 4:30 pm on Friday but that too was delayed. The flight subsequently left Mumbai on Friday night after a 20-hour delay.

The airline in a statement said that it had rescheduled the flight due to operational reasons.

“Although unfortunate, flight time rescheduling due to operational reasons is typical in the aviation industry to ensure safety standards for passengers in line with government standards. The airline sincerely apologizes,” VietJet said in a statement.