Guwahati/Mumbai, June 21: Passengers booked on an AirAsia India flight from Kolkata to Bagdogra Wednesday complained of ill-treatment by the airline staff after the flight was delayed by four-and-a-half hours.
Indian Oil Corporation Executive Director (West Bengal) Dipankar Ray, who was onboard the flight, said the staff behaved in a very “unprofessional and rude” manner and asked passengers to deboard, leading to an altercation.
“The flight was scheduled to depart at 9 am and was initially delayed by 30 minutes. After boarding, we kept sitting inside the aircraft for one-and-a-half hours with no food or water,” Ray said.
The flight captain, Ray added, then instructed all passengers to deplane without explaining the reason.
“When passengers refused to comply as it was raining heavily outside, the captain switched on the air-conditioning blower on full blast to hound the passengers out. It created a scary scene as heavy fog was created inside the plane and it was very suffocating,” Ray said.
He said many women passengers started vomiting and children crying. In a video he uploaded on Facebook, passengers are seen arguing with on-board staff and asking them to switch the blower off.
“This is the way Aviation industry works in India. This #AirAsiaservice was particularly scary … Avoid Air Asia,” Ray wrote in his Facebook post.
AirAsia has issued a statement accepting that the flight was delayed and expressed regret. “AirAsia India would like to confirm that flight i5583 from Kolkata to Bagdogra was delayed by 4.5 hours due to a technical requirement. AirAsia regrets the inconvenience caused to guests on account of this disruption and would like to reinstate that the airline always prioritises safety above all,” the company said.
It further said that there was no danger to any of the occupants on board the aircraft as the cool conditioned air being circulated was condensing.
“This is a normal occurrence on board all aircraft when the air conditioning is operated in high humidity conditions,” the statement said.
The company also claimed that all the affected guests were offered refreshments and provided with alternative arrangements sought.