Bhubaneswar: Passengers of Air India Express flight IX-1128 from Delhi and Bhubaneswar had to face inconvenience after the air-conditioning system on the aircraft reportedly malfunctioned.
Taking to his X, Congress leader Navjyoti Patnaik said that they were left gasping in extreme heat for nearly 2 hours. “A passenger from Odisha shared photos showing people removing shirts, fanning with magazines—an in-flight nightmare. This isn’t a glitch; @DGCAIndia must act.”
AC failure on an @AirIndiaX flight from Delhi to Bhubaneswar left passengers gasping in extreme heat for nearly 2 hours.
A passenger from Odisha shared photos showing people removing shirts, fanning with magazines—an in-flight nightmare.
This isn’t a glitch; @DGCAIndia must… pic.twitter.com/lmSXwfOUPq— Navajyoti Patnaik (@NavjyotiPatnaik) May 14, 2025
Air India Express responded to his post, regretting the inconvenience caused. “This is certainly not the experience we aim to deliver to our guests, and we truly regret the inconvenience caused. Could you please share the booking details via DM so we can look into this on priority?” it wrote.
According to a flyer, Tusharkant Rout, who shared his distressing experience on LinkedIn, the AC failed mid-air shortly after the flight took off from Delhi at around 4 pm on May 11. The discomfort allegedly continued until the end of the journey. “Passengers are faced unbearably hot in this flight, one of the passenger health is very serious,” he wrote.
Air India Express faced backlash when it commented that the air-conditioning system may not have malfunctioned while responding to his post. “We’re sorry for the delay and any discomfort you experienced during your flight, Tusharkant. The cabin AC may feel less effective during boarding and taxiing due to open doors and limited power supply for operational reasons, but it becomes fully functional after takeoff.” the airline wrote.
“As you’ve completed your journey, we truly appreciate your feedback and remain committed to improving our services for a better experience next time,” it added.
Also Read: ‘Maybe Privatisation Doesn’t…’: Air India Faces Massive Heat From Odisha MLA
This came almost a week after Balangir MLA Kalikesh Singh Deo called out the abysmal customer service of the airline after his flight between Dehradun and Delhi was delayed by 3 hours.
