Mumbai-bound GoAir passengers stranded for 10 hours

More than 160 Mumbai-bound passengers of a GoAir flight were stranded for almost 10 hours without food and water at the Delhi airport on Sunday. The flight was scheduled to take-off at 11.25am.

More than 160 Mumbai-bound passengers of a GoAir flight were stranded for almost 10 hours without food and water at the Delhi airport on Sunday. The flight was scheduled to take-off at 11.25am.

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According to passengers, the Delhi–Mumbai-Goa Go Air flight G8 105 was scheduled to take off at 11.25 am from the Delhi airport. It was initially delayed for six hours and later, when it finally took off at 5.30 pm, it returned to Delhi due to "technical fault".

The irate passengers also staged a dharna at the runway. "The airport staff are not telling us anything. We are being unnecessary harassed. I have to reach Mumbai at the earliest but the officials are just not willing to come forward with any alternate arrangements," said Anurag Mehndiratta, who was carrying medicines for critically ill grandmother.

Passengers said they were not informed about the delay till the time they checked in at the Delhi airport.

"The flight got delayed at the Patna airport only. Instead of the scheduled time of 9.25am, it took off only at 2.40pm. To prevent any inconvenience to passengers the airline could have informed us about the delay before we checked in." said a passenger, requesting anonymity.

"After a lot of heated arguments with passengers the airline officials are now telling us that the flight would take off at 10.30 pm," said Sambuddha Dutt, who works for a Dubai-based international sport channel.

"The airline also offered to return the fare after the irate passengers cornered them for the 10-hour-long ordeal."

GoAir chief executive officer Kaushik Khona, whoever, said the Patna flight got delayed in the morning due to bad weather at Lucknow and the passengers were informed in time.