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IA passengers stranded for 12 hrs due to delay

DUBAI — The passengers of an Indian Airlines aircraft, scheduled to leave from Sharjah to Calicut yesterday at 1am, were stranded at the airport for 12 hours after the flight was delayed due to a technical snag.

According to passengers, they were left in the lurch as the airlines did not provide them with accommodation and refreshments.

“I was going home on an emergency because my uncle passed away. But the flight was delayed and I cannot be there before the body is buried,” lamented a passenger, and alleged that the airlines did not provide them accommodation and food.

“I was sitting at the airport all these hours and the way the carrier treated all the passengers was bad. They should provide us a place to sleep and food as the flight was delayed because of their mistake,” he said.

Another passenger said: “It was like a nightmare for me. I was sitting on a bench in the airport the whole night. I am going back home after two years and my family were waiting for me at the airport. They travelled about four hours to reach the airport. I told them to go back home as I was not sure when the flight would leave.”

A source from the Indian Airlines confirmed the delay, but denied the allegations. “The flight was supposed to leave at 1am but it left only at 1.20pm, because of a technical snag. We provided food and other facilities for the passengers. We arranged taxis for passengers who wanted to go back home,” the source said.