Hundreds of Air India passengers returning to India for a Deepavali break were left stranded after their Milan to Delhi flight on October 17 was cancelled due to a technical glitch, among whom young mothers expressed worries about food for their toddlers, and others were concerned about elderly passengers abandoned at the airport.
The flight AI 138, Milan to Delhi, which was scheduled to take off from Milan at 9 p.m. local time was cancelled due to a technical snag. At least some passengers have been informed that they will be accommodated on a flight four days later October 21 leaving them without a valid visa or spare cash.
While some of the passengers were taken to a hotel outside Milan, they were later told by the hotel to check out without any notice, one passenger aboard the flight told The Hindu.
“Attempts to reach Air India support team have not been successful. We have been told Air India cannot assist us further and they were reaching out to the Indian Embassy for support,” Chandni Varia told The Hindu. She was worried about her visa expiring on October 20th and lack of information from the airline on efforts being made to either accommodate her on a flight earlier or get her help with visa extension.
