Date:27/11/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/11/27/stories/2007112759750300.htm

New Delhi

Bird-hit, fog delay flights

Staff Reporter

Indira Gandhi International Airport crammed with passengers

Dubai-bound craft coming from Dhaka grounded because of a bird-hit
Flight from Birmingham-Amritsar-Delhi brought to Delhi first because of thick fog

NEW DELHI: Indira Gandhi International Airport here was crammed with passengers on Monday morning because of a series of delays and diversion of a flight to Delhi owing to fog in another city.

Passengers of a Dubai-bound Air India flight scheduled to depart on Sunday night had to wait for almost 24 hours at the airport because of a bird-hit. As a result, passengers scheduled to go to Frankfurt in the same aircraft (AI 137) on Monday morning got delayed by several hours.

The Dubai-bound flight AI 747 was to take off at 8-30 p.m. on Sunday, but the aircraft that was coming from Dhaka was grounded because of a bird-hit.

“The aircraft had to be repaired. Over 300 passengers on the flight were accommodated in hotels. The airline assisted them in all possible way. We got an aircraft from Mumbai and on Monday night two planes, comprising passengers of the Sunday’s flight as well as those of Monday, will be sent to Dubai,” said Air India Executive Director (Northern Region) D. S. Kohli on Monday.

Since the same Delhi-Dubai flight was affected on Saturday as well causing backlog, another aircraft carrying the rest of the Dubai-bound passengers will be flown on Tuesday morning, another airline official said.

“The aircraft from Dubai was to come back to Delhi and then fly on the Frankfurt-Los Angeles sector on Monday morning with 250 passengers on board. However, owing to the bird-hit, they too could not be sent and AI 137 was delayed by several hours. Another aircraft arrived from Mumbai that took those passengers around 1-30 p.m. on Monday,” added Mr. Kohli.

“People must understand that bird-hits are something that airlines can’t do anything about. We have taken up the issue with the airport officials, but they tell us that the local public that feeds these birds are responsible for their being in the vicinity. We are badly affected by such problems,” he added.

There were also reports that some passengers had a heated argument with the Air India officials over the delays and inconvenience caused to them. The airline officials, however, denied the incident. Also, on Monday those travelling on Air India flight (AI 188) from Birmingham-Amritsar-Delhi had to be brought to Delhi first instead of Amritsar because of thick fog.