The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched an investigation into Air India following the airline’s alleged use of a scheduled flight to transport the victorious T20 World Cup squad back from Barbados.
The controversy arose after reports surfaced that Air India had diverted a Boeing 777 originally scheduled for a Newark-Delhi flight to ferry the team home. This move reportedly caused inconvenience to passengers who had booked seats on the Newark-Delhi route.
DGCA seeks clarification from Air India
DGCA officials confirmed the investigation and requested a report from Air India to establish the full details of the situation. Aviation experts have weighed in, with Mohan Ranganathan stating that cancelling a scheduled flight without proper justification is a serious violation of civil aviation regulations.
Air India responds
Air India officials acknowledged that the original carrier transporting the cricket team had to cancel their flight. They claim Air India was then approached by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to arrange a replacement. While the airline maintains that all passengers on the Newark-Delhi flight were informed and offered alternative arrangements, some passengers have disputed this.
One passenger, Ankur Verma, stated on social media that he received no notification of the cancellation and was forced to book a new ticket with another airline. This conflicting information has prompted the DGCA to delve deeper into the matter.
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World Cup Champions Return Home
Despite the controversy, the T20 World Cup team safely departed Barbados on a chartered Air India flight (AIC24WC) on Wednesday afternoon. The flight, carrying the team, officials, and journalists,arrived in Delhi on Thursday morning.
The investigation by DGCA is likely to focus on whether Air India followed proper procedures and adequately compensated passengers affected by the Newark-Delhi flight cancellation.
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