As many as 170 passengers of an Air India Express flight to Dubai had a tough time at the airport here as the flight was delayed by 13 hours due to a technical snag.

The flight, which was scheduled to take off for Dubai at 3 pm on Thursday, finally left at 4 am on Friday.

In a statement, Tata Group-owned Air India Express said it provided assistance to some 50 passengers, who had special requirements, including the lounge facility.

However, the remaining 120 passengers were kept at the airport terminal building, an airline source said. A total of 170 passengers were booked for the flight.

Significantly, Tata Group operates at least four luxury hotels in the city with one in the domestic airport terminal premises itself.

"Air India Express flight IX 247 on Mumbai-Dubai route on February 9, 2023 had a progressive delay due to a technical snag, which was beyond the control of the airline," the airline said.

"We made all possible efforts to minimise the difficulties of our guests, dinner was given to all guests, followed by continuous refreshments. Airport lounge facilities were provided to 50 guests who required special assistance and support," the statement said.

According to the source, there was an engineering related issue with the aircraft and the maintenance team said the aircraft will be airworthy by 7 pm.

So, accordingly the airline announced the revised schedule of 7 pm but later, it was identified that it was a progressive delay as the aircraft had to be replaced, the source added.

Since there were no spare aircraft available in Mumbai, the airline had to wait for the arrival of plane operating Jeddah-Mumbai flight.

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