New York-Delhi direct flight gets stuck in London – Times of India
NEW DELHI: A New York-Delhi nonstop is a 14-15 hour-ride but nearly 300 passengers who left New York Sunday morning (India time) on American Airlines flight AA 292 have been cooling their heels in London since Monday afternoon (IST) after the fight had to be diverted to Heathrow due to a medical emergency on board. Now they are expected to take off from there for Delhi on Wednesday.
American Airlines has permission to operate scheduled services between India and the US. Therefore, operating this Boeing 777 from London to Delhi required special permission. It is possible till the nod came, the stranded passengers were informed that they may have to fly back to New York and then head from there to Delhi.
While that need did not arise as the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) allowed this American aircraft to fly from London to Delhi as a non-scheduled (charter) operation with a different flight number AA 295, the same is likely to operate on Wednesday (June 1) as the airline arranges for crew to do the same. This means the 300 passengers who had left New York on May 30 will reach Delhi two days later on June 1 (IST) instead of what was to be a 15-hour journey. A DGCA official said AA 295 “got cancelled due to crew duty time limitations”.
In a statement, American Airlines said: “On Sunday, American Airlines flight 292 from New York (JFK) to Delhi (DEL) diverted to London Heathrow (LHR) due to a medical emergency on board. The flight was unable to continue due to crew rest requirements and is currently awaiting approval from various governmental authorities as needed to re-depart to Delhi.”
AA 292 took off from JFK at 9.19 pm on May 29 (New York time), which is 6.49 am IST on May 30. An Indian passenger onboard the flight reportedly took ill when the aircraft was flying over Europe. Due to this medical emergency the crew decided to head to London Heathrow where they landed at 2.23 pm on May 30 (IST).
American Airlines has permission to operate scheduled services between India and the US. Therefore, operating this Boeing 777 from London to Delhi required special permission. It is possible till the nod came, the stranded passengers were informed that they may have to fly back to New York and then head from there to Delhi.
While that need did not arise as the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) allowed this American aircraft to fly from London to Delhi as a non-scheduled (charter) operation with a different flight number AA 295, the same is likely to operate on Wednesday (June 1) as the airline arranges for crew to do the same. This means the 300 passengers who had left New York on May 30 will reach Delhi two days later on June 1 (IST) instead of what was to be a 15-hour journey. A DGCA official said AA 295 “got cancelled due to crew duty time limitations”.
In a statement, American Airlines said: “On Sunday, American Airlines flight 292 from New York (JFK) to Delhi (DEL) diverted to London Heathrow (LHR) due to a medical emergency on board. The flight was unable to continue due to crew rest requirements and is currently awaiting approval from various governmental authorities as needed to re-depart to Delhi.”
AA 292 took off from JFK at 9.19 pm on May 29 (New York time), which is 6.49 am IST on May 30. An Indian passenger onboard the flight reportedly took ill when the aircraft was flying over Europe. Due to this medical emergency the crew decided to head to London Heathrow where they landed at 2.23 pm on May 30 (IST).
