Ahmedabad: A technical glitch delayed an Air India flight from Mumbai to Ahmedabad by two and a half hours on Monday, leaving passengers waiting inside the aircraft for more than two hours before it finally took off. Air India flight AI 2503, scheduled to depart Mumbai at 12.55pm, took off at 3.25pm and arrived in Ahmedabad at 4.30pm.Sources told TOI that the technical issue concerned the aircraft’s air-conditioning system. The pilot reportedly realised the problem only after the aircraft began taxiing towards the runway.“The aircraft then taxied back to the parking bay. The crew informed passengers that the flight would be delayed because of a technical issue,” said a fellow passenger aboard the flight.Passengers had already spent about an hour inside the aircraft while it remained parked. They then waited onboard for nearly two more hours as the crew addressed the issue.At around 2.05pm, a cabin crew member announced that the aircraft would take off after refuelling. The flight eventually departed at 3.25pm, two hours and 30 minutes after its scheduled departure time. The incident disrupted passengers’ travel plans, with the aircraft reaching Ahmedabad at 4.30pm. A subsequent rotational flight from Ahmedabad back to Mumbai was also delayed.Other flight delays were also reported at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) Airport in Ahmedabad, with services to Jeddah, Pune and Bengaluru cancelled. Flights to Mumbai, Siliguri and Bengaluru were delayed.
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