After its flight from New Delhi to San Francisco got delayed by nearly 30 hours, Air India has announced a full refund of the fare to the passengers, along with a voucher for future travel with the airline.
In a letter to the passengers, Air India apologised for the inconvenience they had faced due to the flight delay.
“We completely understand that the past 24 hours were difficult, and thank you for your patience during this period. Your safety was our prime consideration throughout and governed our pilots' decision to make a precautionary landing at Krasnoyarsk International Airport [KJA], Russia,” it said.
The airline said they dispatched the relief flight in collaboration with relevant authorities as making the passengers reach San Francisco was their top priority.
"While we cannot obliterate the experience that you have undergone, as a gesture to convey our sincere regrets, we will fully refund the fare for your journey and will incrementally provide you a voucher for future travel on Air India," the letter said.
The Air India flight with 225 passengers and 19 crew members on board was diverted to the Russian city on Thursday after the cockpit crew detected a potential issue in the cargo hold area of the aircraft.
The relief flight, which took off from Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport at 12.52 pm on Saturday, took the stranded passengers from Krasnoyarsk to San Francisco.
"The flight AI 1179 departed Krasnoyarsk (KJA) at 0002 hours local time (20 July) for San Francisco (SFO), carrying all passengers and crew of AI183 that was diverted to Krasnoyarsk," Air India said in a statement.
