Chennai, June 9:
Hundreds of passengers faced severe inconvenience at Chennai International Airport after multiple flights were delayed for several hours, forcing many to wait through the night without clear information.
An Air India Express flight scheduled to depart for Kolkata at 7:40 pm on Tuesday was delayed significantly. Around 148 passengers had checked in for the journey, but no clear updates were provided regarding the delay. With uncertainty continuing through the night, more than 30 passengers eventually cancelled their tickets and returned home. The flight finally departed at around 4 am, nearly eight hours behind schedule, with about 110 passengers onboard.
Similarly, another Air India Express flight bound for Bengaluru, originally scheduled to take off at 9:25 pm, was delayed by nearly one and a half hours. The flight eventually departed around 11 pm, with approximately 120 passengers.
In yet another instance, the Chennai–Pune flight, scheduled for 10:05 pm, was also delayed without prior explanation. The aircraft took off around midnight, about two hours later than planned, carrying 167 passengers.
With three flights facing delays ranging from 90 minutes to eight hours in a single night, passengers were left waiting at the airport for extended periods, losing sleep and expressing frustration. Several affected travellers reportedly engaged in heated arguments with airline staff at the counters.
Airline authorities later cited “administrative reasons” for the delays. Meanwhile, airport officials explained that incoming flights to Chennai had arrived late, causing a cascading effect on outgoing schedules. However, the exact reasons behind the delay of incoming flights remain unclear.
The incident has once again raised concerns over communication lapses and passenger handling during flight disruptions at one of the country’s busiest airports.