Two AirAsia flights travelling from Delhi to the city of Srinagar suffered technical issues mid-flight last Saturday within approximately six hours of each other. Both aircraft were forced to turn around as a result.
A frustrating double retirement
Malaysian multinational low-cost carrier suffered from a double retirement over the weekend after both of its aircraft travelling to Srinagar from Delhi suffered technical issues and had to turn back as a consequence.
The first flight, an Airbus A320 aircraft with the registration number VT-APJ, took off from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport successfully at around 11:55 am local time.
The aircraft was in the air for about half an hour when the pilot announced on the tannoy that they were experiencing a “technical snag” – a concealed difficulty or irregularity – according to a passenger on board at the time.
The decision was made to turn around and the aircraft returned to Indira Gandhi International Airport at around 1:45 pm local time.
Six hours later, the second flight (which was also an Airbus A320) with the registration number VT-RED was arranged by the Malaysia-based airline to take those passengers on the first flight that were stranded in the Indian capital to Srinagar.
However shortly after, the second aircraft developed a technical snag and was forced to return to Delhi. The aircraft safely returned to Delhi at around 5:30 pm.
The passengers involved were enrolled in an increasingly stressful situation, seemingly unable to leave Delhi.
AirAsia informed the affected passengers that they could either cancel their flight and get a full refund or they can book another flight within the next 30 days.
An AirAsia spokesperson provided further details regarding the double incident:
“AirAsia India confirms that flight from Delhi to Srinagar had to return back to Delhi on account of a technical snag. The aircraft is being operated after rectification of the snag to recover continuity of operations to and from Srinagar.”
The spokesperson finished by offering condolences to the passengers that have been affected:
“We regret the inconvenience and disruption to the travel plans of our guests and reaffirm our commitment to safety in all our operations.”
Further details about what the technical issue was remains unknown.
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