Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) Member of Parliament (MP) Supriya Sule on Monday slammed Air India for the prolonged delay of AI2971 Delhi-Pune flight, and also accused the national carrier of poor service, lack of communication, and rising instances of passenger inconvenience on the airline.
In a post on social media platform X, Sule posted: “Travelling from Delhi to Pune on @airindia flight AI 2971. The flight is delayed by over 3 hours — no clear communication, no updates, no assistance and very bad service. Such delays and mismanagement are becoming a norm with @airindia. Passengers are left stranded and helpless. This apathy is unacceptable. Urging @RamMNK, @MoCA_GoI to intervene and hold the airline accountable. Travellers deserve better.”
Travelling from Delhi to Pune on @airindia flight AI 2971. The flight is delayed by over 3 hours — no clear communication, no updates, no assistance and very bad service. Such delays and mismanagement are becoming a norm with @airindia. Passengers are left stranded and helpless.…
— Supriya Sule (@supriya_sule) June 17, 2025
The flight was delayed by more than three hours, with passengers at the airport accusing the airline of lack of information and assistance from the ground staff.
Responding to her tweet, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu assured swift action.
“@supriya_sule ji, I’ve spoken to the airline and airport authorities. They’ve been asked to urgently address the concerns of all affected passengers,” he wrote.
The incident comes amid a string of recent complaints regarding Air India’s operational efficiency, including delays, technical issues, and service concerns.
The airline also responded to her tweet and wrote, “Dear Ma`am, due to adverse weather conditions in Delhi, flight operations have been significantly impacted. This includes diversions and airborne holding for several flights. Please be assured that our teams are fully engaged in assisting all affected customers. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused.”
In a separate post on flight diversions, Air India wrote in a post on its official handle, “Due to inclement weather conditions in Delhi, our flight operations are getting impacted with some diversions.”
As many as 12 flights were diverted from the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi on Tuesday afternoon amid adverse weather conditions, an airport official said.
“Between 3 pm and 4 pm, a total of 12 flights were diverted owing to the inclement weather in the Delhi region,” the official said.
The IGI Airport, operated by Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), is the busiest in the country and currently has three operational runways. One of them remains closed for upgradation work, which has further constrained airside capacity.
Meanwhile, the airline cancelled seven international flights amid regulatory scrutiny and technical issues on Tuesday— marking what is being seen as the carrier’s most serious crisis since its acquisition by the Tata Group three-and-a-half years ago.
While Air India cancelled six international flights owing to aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) subjecting its Dreamliner fleet to enhanced checks, the Ahmedabad-London Gatwick one was cancelled due to unavailability of aircraft, the airline said.
(With PTI inputs)