Passengers aboard Air India flight AI179 (Mumbai-San Francisco), a B777 aircraft bound for San Francisco, faced an excruciating ordeal on Friday afternoon as they endured a six-hour delay in stifling cabin conditions. The flight, originally scheduled to depart at 2.25 PM, saw its boarding process commence at 3.30 pm after a delay. But due to an engine issue, the flight was on the tarmac till 9 PM, when the passengers were finally disembarked from the cabin. The flight took off on Saturday morning at 10.20 am.

“The prolonged delay and poor air conditioning in the cabin caused severe discomfort, with some senior citizen reportedly fainting due to the oppressive heat,” said sources from a security agency who was present at the airport during the incident. Passengers, frustrated by the lack of adequate communication and amenities, have taken to social media to voice their grievances, demanding accountability and justice from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA).