Air India’s repeated delays have sparked fresh outrage after flight AI2601, scheduled from Delhi to Chandigarh, was held up for several hours on Saturday.

While the airline initially assured passengers of a 7:30 PM departure — nearly two hours after its scheduled take-off — the flight missed that deadline as well.
The airline attributed the delay to “technical issues” but offered no further clarity beyond the revised timing.

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The flight couldn’t take off until 8:40 pm, leaving passengers stranded for hours. One of the stranded passengers complained that the airline didn’t even offer food or snacks during the long wait.

Repeated disruptions have added to the growing frustration among fliers, many of whom say such delays have become routine and affect their every schedule.

In recent days, Air India has faced severe criticism from passengers, including political leaders across party lines, over what they allege is persistent mismanagement and disregard for customer convenience.

Earlier this week, an Air India flight IX-1144, scheduled to depart from Pune at 1:05 AM and arrive in Delhi at 3:25 AM, was delayed by seven hours, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded at the city airport.

Last month, senior NCP leader and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule took to X to slam the airline.

“Air India flights are endlessly delayed — this is unacceptable! We pay premium fares, yet flights are never on time. Professionals, children, and senior citizens — all affected by this constant mismanagement,” she posted, tagging Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu and urging immediate action.

She later cited her own experience of a 1 hour and 19-minute delay on flight AI0508, calling for stricter regulations to hold Air India accountable and to enforce better service standards.

In response, Air India said that there are occasional operational issues outside of its control that affect flight schedules.

“Dear Ma’am, we recognize that delays can be very frustrating. However, there are occasional operational issues outside of our control that can affect flight schedules. Your flight to Mumbai this evening was delayed by one hour due to such an issue. We appreciate your understanding,” the airline stated.

In February this year, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also expressed his dissatisfaction after being allotted a faulty seat.

“I don’t care about sitting discomfort, but it is unethical to make passengers sit on bad and uncomfortable seats after charging them the full amount. Isn’t this cheating the passengers,” he questioned in a post on X.