Technical snag delays Halwara-Delhi flight by 4 hours; 27 out of 57 passengers opt out

Due to a technical issue, passengers travelling from Halwara Airport to Delhi on an afternoon flight yesterday faced inconvenience after the flight was delayed by approximately four hours. Of the 57 passengers who had boarded the aircraft, 27 opted to cancel their journey due to the delay.

Air India flight AI-484, bound for Delhi from Ludhiana’s Halwara International Airport, encountered a technical problem shortly before take-off. As the aircraft was taxiing towards the runway, a loud noise was suddenly heard coming from it.

Jagir Singh, Director, Halwara Airport, said that after hearing the noise, the pilot decided not to proceed with the take-off and returned the aircraft to the apron.

After the technical fault was detected, all passengers were deplaned and safely transported to the terminal building by bus. The aircraft was subsequently inspected, and after the necessary procedures were completed, the flight departed for Delhi after a delay of approximately four hours.

The incident caused passengers to wait at the airport for several hours. However, officials from Air India and the Airports Authority of India declined to provide details about the nature of the technical fault or the source of the noise heard from the aircraft.

There were 57 passengers on board the afternoon flight. After being informed of the four-hour delay, 27 passengers opted out of travelling. The aircraft eventually departed for Delhi at 7 pm, instead of its scheduled departure time of 2:40 pm.