The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has initiated an inquiry into allegations that Air India diverted a scheduled flight from Newark to Delhi to pick up the Indian cricket team from Barbados. This move has sparked controversy as it reportedly caused inconvenience to passengers who were originally booked on the flight.
According to reports, on July 2, Air India cancelled its regular flight bound for Delhi from New York and rerouted the aircraft to Barbados to retrieve the victorious Indian cricket team led by Rohit Sharma after their T20 World Cup win. Passengers on social media expressed dismay over the cancellation, claiming they were not provided with an alternative flight.
A senior official confirmed that the DGCA has requested a detailed report from Air India regarding the incident. The airline managed to arrange a charter flight, designated as AIC24WC (Air India Champions 24 World Cup), in coordination with officials from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to transport the cricket team back to India. Sources mentioned that efforts were made to accommodate the affected passengers after the charter flight was arranged.
DGCA rules stipulate that scheduled airlines operating international flights must ensure that charter operations do not disrupt their regular schedules, emphasizing the necessity of spare aircraft for such contingencies.
An Air India spokesperson clarified that most passengers were informed in advance about the flight cancellation and were either rebooked on alternative flights or transported by road to New York for subsequent flights to Delhi. The cricket team's return was delayed due to Hurricane Beryl, prompting the BCCI to arrange the charter flight to expedite their journey back to India.
The charter flight departed from Barbados early morning, local time, and arrived in New Delhi at 7 am on Thursday, facilitating the timely return of the cricket team amidst the ongoing discussions and concerns raised by affected passengers.