Around 170 passengers on a Mumbai-Ahmedabad Akasa flight had a frustrating experience on Wednesday night. The flight, scheduled to depart at 9:10 pm from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, was delayed by two hours due to the pilot’s duty hours ending — and the air conditioning inside the aircraft was turned off during the wait.
Boarding began around 8:15 pm, and most passengers were seated by 8:45 pm. However, the cabin quickly became hot and uncomfortable as the AC wasn’t working. When passengers complained, the pilot told them the cooling would start once the flight was airborne.
By 9 pm, the heat became unbearable for some, and two passengers requested to deboard. Offloading their baggage took about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, the pilot informed everyone that his shift had ended and a new pilot would take over, causing further delay.
Hitesh Patel, a passenger aboard, stated, “A new pilot arrived at 10.35 pm, and the flight finally took off at 11.10 pm. The air conditioning remained off until the flight took off, causing extreme discomfort. The crew did not provide any satisfactory explanation.”