The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Passengers of GoAir stranded

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 03, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Passengers of GoAir stranded

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: Over 100 passengers bound for Delhi from Bangalore on the low-cost carrier GoAir remained stranded in Bangalore Airport since early Friday after the aircraft returned because of "bad weather" in the national capital.

Flight G8-264, scheduled to depart at 9.30 p.m., left for Delhi around 1.30 a.m. but returned following bad weather, airport sources said. Passengers, after an interminable wait in Apron 4, lost their cool when the airline did not make any alternative arrangement.

The situation became worse when their relatives turned up on being informed, the police said.

Meanwhile, because of "duty limitation" clause that forbids pilots from flying after being on the job for a specified number of hours, the flight did not take off even the next morning.

Passengers, now furious, entered into a verbal duel with GoAir personnel at the airport. Tension prevailed for a while and the situation threatened to go out of control.

In a statement, GoAir Managing Director Jeh Wadia, said it was one of those rare instances. The airline did make alternative arrangements to all passengers on board flight G8-264.

He said GoAir's flight G8-264 had been rescheduled from the original departure time of 9.30 p.m. to midnight and passengers were sent SMS to that effect. The flight took off for Delhi at 1.38 a.m. but had to return because of fog. It landed at Bangalore airport at 3.55 a.m. but some passengers refused to disembark.

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