Panaji: What was supposed to be a routine 50-minute flight from Mumbai to Goa turned into a seven-hour ordeal for over 100 passengers aboard Akasa Air’s flight QP 1301 on Sunday night. Passengers on the flight said that the chaos stemmed not from technical issues but from poor crew scheduling.Initially scheduled for a 6 pm departure, flight QP 1301 was first rescheduled to 6.25 pm, only for passengers to be informed at check-in that the flight was delayed to 8 pm at Mumbai’s Terminal 1.Nirmala Sequeira, a senior citizen from Panaji told TOI that the airline’s ground crew served passengers a snack box and a water bottle at 8.30 pm and then let them know of yet another delay to 9 pm because the first officer met his flight duty time limitations (FDTL). “The flight was delayed several times and after the final timing of 8 pm, we were still sitting due to some operational issue by the crew. No complimentary food was served,” said Bharat Morpana, another flier.Though boarding commenced at 9 pm, the aircraft taxied to the runway only at 10 pm, only to return to the terminal, triggering passenger unrest. “There were people with young children waiting. Everyone was hungry and tired. Many passengers at the back turned unruly. Sequeira said.The situation worsened when the pilot-in-command also exceeded his flying hours. The aerobridge was reconnected for the captain to disembark, but by the time a new pilot-in-command took over around 11.30 pm, the cabin crew crossed their duty hours as well. The flight finally took off at 12.30 am and landed at Manohar International Airport, Mopa at 1.30 am. “Akasa Air flight QP1301 operating from Mumbai to Goa on Feb 8 faced progressive delays, which ultimately rendered the assigned crew unable to continue the Mumbai Goa Mumbai sector. On arrangement of fresh crew, the flight departed Mumbai at 23:55 hours. During the delay, all passengers were provided with refreshments and assistance,” the Akasa Air spokesperson said.
