Day 2 of India repatriation: Flight from Dubai to Chennai delayed
A few passengers, who reached the airport early, brace for long wait
Dubai: The first Indian repatriation flight from the UAE on day two, Friday, has been delayed for five-and-a-half hours, airline officials confirmed to Gulf News.
The Air India Express flight IX540 from Dubai to Chennai, which was supposed to depart at 2.45pm, has been rescheduled to 8.15pm.
The unexpected delay was attributed to terminal permission.
A few passengers, who have already reached the airport, said they had not received an intimation about the delay.
Since they had been asked to reach the airport five hours early to facilitate the medical screening and rapid antibody test for COVID-19, a few workers and others reached the airport early.
Gopinath Vasu and his uncle Shankar Adimulu, electricians in a company in Sharjah, who are flying home after losing jobs, told Gulf News they were at the airport by 9am.
“We don’t know what to do now. We are all inside the departure terminal. We ajust have to wait,” said Vasu.
The second flight to the same destination is scheduled to depart on time at 7pm today, officials said.