Air India Express Passengers Stranded for Over 24 Hours in Dammam

BENGALURU- Air India Express (IX) Flight with more than 150 passengers travelling to Bengaluru (BLR) experienced an extended delay exceeding 24 hours at King Fahad International Airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia (DMM).

Air India Express (IX) flight IX484, originally scheduled to depart at 8:30 PM on April 25, 2025, faced multiple postponements due to persistent technical malfunctions, according to a Times of India report.

Photo: X User

Air India Express Passengers Stranded

Air India Express (IX) Flight IX484 from Dammam (DMM) to Bengaluru (BLR) was supposed to take off at 8.30 PM on 25th April, 2025.

Airline officials informed the stranded travellers on April 26 that maintenance crews had “temporarily fixed” the technical issues following an overnight delay.

Passengers received instructions to board the aircraft at 1:30 PM Saudi time. However, the situation deteriorated further when the plane suddenly halted during taxiing to the runway, creating additional uncertainty about the flight’s status and airworthiness.

The aircraft finally departed at midnight on April 26, approximately 27.5 hours after its originally scheduled departure time.

Throughout the extended delay, numerous passengers documented their experience on social media platforms, sharing real-time updates about the situation while expressing serious concerns regarding safety standards, operational transparency, and crisis management practices by the airline’s ground staff in Dammam.

Passenger Reactions

One distressed traveller told Times of India, “This is not just management; it is sheer negligence. Passenger lives are being put at serious risk.” Another stranded passenger described the situation as exposing “a glaring gap in passenger care and service standards.”

PA Hammed Padubidri, an advocate who has resided in Saudi Arabia for over two decades, raised significant concerns about the airline’s operational practices.

Photo: avgeekwithlens/ Harsh Tekriwal

Service Disruptions

Padubidri further highlighted that this incident represents “the third major disruption involving Air India Express (IX) flights within a month, raising questions about the airline’s operational reliability, aircraft maintenance practices, and overall crisis preparedness.”

He emphasised the potential safety implications of recurring technical problems: “If an aircraft continues to suffer ‘technical issues,’ it indicates systemic negligence. Operating such flights puts the lives of passengers at unacceptable risk. It is deeply shocking and unacceptable.”

The advocate has formally appealed to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and the Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu to implement strict measures against Air India Express (IX) following this incident.

Dammam Airport; Photo- Wikipedia

Airline Response to the Incident

An Air India Express (IX) spokesperson addressed the situation in a statement quoted by the Times of India: “One of our flights from Dammam to Bengaluru departed with a delay due to a technical snag.”

The statement concluded with an apology and safety assurance: “We regret the inconvenience caused and reiterate that the safety of our guests and crew remains our highest priority.”

This incident occurs amid increased scrutiny of airline operational practices and passenger rights in the region, particularly regarding transparency during technical delays and the adequacy of accommodations provided during extended service disruptions.

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