Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Tuesday raised concerns over the delay of an Air India flight from Delhi to Chennai, claiming that passengers were made to wait for 15 minutes at the aircraft door after being cleared for boarding. The flight, originally scheduled for 8:45 pm, was further delayed by half an hour, according to Chidambaram.

Taking to Twitter, the former Finance Minister, who is a regular Air India passenger, criticized the airline for its poor management, particularly in handling such delays. He noted that despite the change in ownership from the government to the private sector, there had been little to no improvement in service quality.

“All passengers on flight AI 540 from Delhi to Chennai have been standing on the aero bridge for 15 minutes. We were cleared for boarding but told to wait at the aircraft door. Passengers only started boarding 10 minutes after the scheduled departure. No one knows when we will actually depart,” Chidambaram tweeted.

He went on to say that Air India’s management, despite the change in ownership, still lacked competent staff to address basic operational issues. "I regret that there has been practically no improvement in the airline's service since the change in management. Air India continues to lack competent managers at various levels," he said.

Later, Chidambaram updated that the flight, which was initially scheduled to depart at 8:45 pm, was now expected to leave at 9:25 pm. "AI 540, now departing at 21:25, will take off shortly," he wrote.