More than 200 passengers of an Air India flight bound for San Francisco endured an over 30-hour delay in Delhi due to a combination of technical issues, a non-functional air conditioning system, and payload complications. After multiple reschedulings starting Thursday evening, flight AI 1183 finally departed from Delhi airport at approximately 9:55 PM on Friday, according to informed sources.

Despite the flight's initial passenger count exceeding 200, 21 individuals chose to deboard on Friday night, the sources reported. To accommodate the night landing restrictions at San Francisco, Air India officials secured the necessary permissions. The flight duration from Delhi to San Francisco is roughly 16 hours, meaning it would arrive in the American city during nighttime.

Initially slated for departure at around 3:30 PM on Thursday, the flight faced a nearly 6-hour delay before being rescheduled to Friday. The Boeing 777 aircraft was first rescheduled for an 11 AM departure on Friday, which was subsequently moved to 3 PM. After pushing back at approximately 5:45 PM, the plane returned to the gate due to suspected technical issues, later identified as payload concerns. The airline planned to offload some cargo before departing for San Francisco.

One source mentioned an announcement regarding temperature issues preventing the takeoff, and the air conditioning was also reportedly turned off.

Air India has not issued an official statement regarding the extensive delay. However, the aviation regulator DGCA issued a show cause notice to the airline for significant delays and inadequate passenger care. The notice highlighted the delays of two international flights: AI 183 from Delhi to San Francisco on May 30 and AI 179 from Mumbai to San Francisco on May 24.

Meanwhile, Air India's regular Delhi to San Francisco flight departed around 7 PM on Friday.

Passenger Shilpa Jain recounted that some passengers fainted on Thursday due to the non-functional air conditioning system, and they had to wait about an hour in the aerobridge. Jain explained that after a technical glitch required a change of aircraft, passengers boarded another plane without working air conditioning. This situation caused significant discomfort, especially for elderly passengers and children. After almost an hour of waiting on the aircraft, passengers deboarded and waited in the aerobridge before returning to the terminal.

According to an Air India official, the initial delay was due to a technical issue that required engineering checks. The crew had also exceeded their Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL), and a timely takeoff would have resulted in arriving in San Francisco during restricted landing hours.

Jain mentioned that the flight's revised departure time was initially set for 11 AM on Friday but was later changed to 3 PM. She also claimed the airline did not offer rescheduling or cancellation options. However, an airline official stated that passengers were given options for a full refund, complimentary rescheduling, and hotel accommodations.

This incident marks the second significant delay for Air India passengers on a San Francisco-bound flight within a week. On Thursday, passengers of flight AI 183 took to social media to voice their frustration, with some noting the lack of air conditioning. Journalist Shweta Punj highlighted the ordeal on X, describing the experience as inhumane and sharing images of passengers sitting on the airport floor.

Similarly, a flight from Mumbai to San Francisco, initially scheduled to depart at 4 PM on May 24, was rescheduled and eventually took off at around 5:30 PM on May 25, also due to multiple issues, including a technical glitch.