18-07-2025
Video: Dubai-Kozhikode flight cancelled after passengers 'locked in' for 4 hours with no AC
Passengers onboard an Air India Express flight bound for Kozhikode were left sweltering inside the aircraft for over four hours on Friday morning, only to be told that the flight had been cancelled.
Flight IX 346, scheduled to depart from Dubai at 9am, began boarding around 8.15am. But what followed, passengers said, was a prolonged and agonising wait on the tarmac with no air conditioning, no updates, and growing frustration.
At 12.15pm, they were finally asked to disembark after being informed that the flight had been cancelled due to operational reasons.
'There was no air conditioning and it was extremely hot and uncomfortable the entire time,' said Anjali Mohan, a Dubai resident who shared videos from inside the aircraft with Khaleej Times. One clip shows passengers using safety cards to fan themselves, while others can be seen repeatedly adjusting air vents and overhead fans in a desperate attempt to cool down. Watch a video here:
"We were just waiting, without any clarity on when this would end. I had to take emergency leave from work and miss an important function I had planned. I was already feeling weak, and sitting in those conditions for so long only made it worse.'
She later updated Khaleej Times and said: 'They've (airline) finally decided to take us to a hotel. We're being told the next flight will only be at 3.40am (India time) tomorrow (July 19).'
Another passenger, Ziyaf Mohamed, echoed her frustration. 'We were locked inside the aircraft since early morning, with barely any updates. The heat was unbearable and people were visibly uncomfortable,' he said. 'I had to miss an important work commitment. Many of us felt unwell. It was a terrible experience; we felt completely helpless and ignored.'
As of 1pm, passengers had been taken back to the terminal. 'There's a huge crowd and no clarity,' said one passenger. 'Everyone's just waiting for answers.'
Meanwhile, Air India Express flight IX 523 from Thiruvananthapuram to Abu Dhabi was also delayed for about 1.5 hours. The plane was supposed to take off at 1.15pm (India time) on Friday, but was moved to 2.40pm same day.
The two delayed flights are the latest in a growing list of disruptions involving Air India Express. Just a day earlier (Thursday), the airline cancelled a Dubai-bound flight from Jaipur at the last minute, after passengers had waited for hours at the airport. Its incoming flight from Dubai to Jaipur also failed to operate due to a reported technical snag.
Flight tracking data reviewed by Khaleej Times shows that the airline has cancelled more than 30 flights across sectors since mid-June, including repeated cancellations last month between Dubai and Lucknow over three consecutive days.
Passengers have repeatedly complained about poor communication and lack of support during these disruptions. An email sent to Air India Express regarding a separate cancellation earlier this week is still awaiting a response, with the airline stating it would need at least a day to reply.
