An Air India flight from Hyderabad to Visakhapatnam was delayed for nearly 12 hours on Sunday, after a rat was reportedly found on board the plane, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA).
According to media reports, the flight, which was scheduled to depart at 6 am, only left at around 5.30 pm, after the rat was noticed by a cabin crew member.
The engineering department was notified and Air India authorities immediately stepped in to fumigate the entire plane and also conduct a thorough search, for any possible damage to the plane, caused by the rat.
Following this, it was granted clearance to fly again. After landing in Visakhapatnam, the plane was scheduled to fly to Delhi.
The extreme delay left passengers in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam angry, and some even took to social media, to vent out their frustration.
Hey @AAI_Official plz throughout this @airindiain from it's operations. #AI952 which was supposed to depart from #Hyderabad to #Visakhapatnam at 0610hrs is delayed to 1500hrs
— Naren (@Narens_tweet) November 10, 2019
They are unable to manage alternate flight also for the passengers.
@airindiain Vizag Flight 4hrs delayed, reason ennti Ani aadigithe,#airindia people ichina answer ki passengers shock thinaru!!!! Answer ennti annte : There is Rat in a flight,adi dorakadam ledhu Ani aandhuke delay ani... pic.twitter.com/hQlTD4r9SR
— Shreyas Sriniwaas (@shreyasmedia) November 10, 2019
Still at the airport. Original time was 9.40am #AirIndia. How is this airline still functioning in India?!?
— KP (@pseudosoc1al) November 10, 2019
@DGCAIndia Rat menace delays AI 952 by 08 hrs 15 min which later enroute becomes AI452 I.E. VZG-DEL. Spotting of rat is a serious case of complacency. Lot of passengers stranyded at VZG Airport. Flight boarding still not commenced. Aviation ministry pls look into the matter pic.twitter.com/gY0dWrUCnw
— sunny (@Duggal1985Vd) November 10, 2019
In September, mild tension prevailed at the RGIA in Hyderabad as around 350 passengers were stranded at the premises due to a long delay in their Air India flight to Jeddah. The airline said that it was a technical issue which caused the delay.
A video of the incident, which had surfaced at the time, showed the passengers of Air India 965 picking up an argument with an official of the airline, pointing out that they had been waiting for over 30 hours for their flight, which was taking them to Jeddah, as part of their Umrah pilgrimage.
Meanwhile, the Centre is going ahead with its plans of privatisation of the ailing carrier.
The Centre is expected to start roadshows this week in Singapore with Disinvestment Secretary T.K. Pandey along with senior aviation ministry and Air India officials to brief the prospective buyers about complete stake sale in the airline.
IANS inputs