The Hindu : Front Page : Diverted flight leaves for Delhi

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 26, 2007
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Diverted flight leaves for Delhi

Mumbai: A New Delhi-bound Air India flight IC 806, which left here on Tuesday and was diverted to Ahmedabad due to fog, has now left for the national capital, official sources said.

The flight with nearly 100 passengers onboard circled New Delhi airport and when it could not land, was diverted to Ahmedabad, they said.

Alternative crew

The plane reached Ahmedabad around 11 a.m. Alternative crew were sent to Ahmedabad through the Jet Airways and then the flight left for New Delhi at 16-00 hours.

Air India’s Public Relations Director Jitendra Bhargava, when contacted, said, “the plane was diverted to Ahmedabad because of fog in Delhi airport.”

Asked whether the pilots had refused to fly the plane in Ahmedabad, Mr. Bhargava replied in the negative and said, “we cannot allow a fatigued pilot to operate a flight. Since the duty hours of the crew were over, alternative crew was sent to operate the flight.”

Regarding the inconvenience caused to the passengers, a spokesman said, “it is natural that the passengers are bound to feel inconvenient. But then we had no alternative but to divert the aircraft for the safety of the passengers. Under the given circumstances whatever we could do, we did it by sending alternative crew,” he added. — PTI

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