Ruckus at Leh airport as AI leaves behind luggage of 100 passengers in Chandigarh
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Chandigarh: Passengers on Air India's Chandigarh-Leh flight AI 458 faced a harrowing experience on Tuesday after the flight, already delayed by nearly three hours, reached Leh without carrying most of the checked-in luggage.
Chaos erupted at Leh airport as over 100 passengers discovered their baggage had been left behind in Chandigarh, triggering anger, slogans, and calls to local police at Leh.
The flight, originally scheduled to depart at 10:20 am on June 24, finally took off at 12.58 pm — after a delay of 2.40 hours. Passengers had earlier received a message from Air India stating that the new departure time would be 12.20 pm. However, the actual takeoff was nearly 40 minutes later than even the revised time.
The situation took a turn for the worse upon landing, when passengers waited in vain at the baggage belt. Many discovered that their bags — which included essential items like medicines, children's belongings, jewellery, and even cash — had not arrived. A video of the agitated passengers raising slogans against Air India staff quickly went viral on social media.
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"My bag has my medicines, and I don't know when I'll get it back," said a passenger, requesting anonymity.
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"First, we were kept waiting in Chandigarh for hours without proper updates. Then, at Leh, no one took responsibility or gave clear answers."
One woman alleged that she had medicines, jewellery, and cash in her missing bag and was met with apathy when she raised concerns. "When we asked for a receipt confirming our bags were missing, they scribbled something on a plain sheet of paper. It has no official stamp or value," she said.
Passengers also alleged that the staff misbehaved, didn't offer basic hospitality like water or seating, and refused to take responsibility. Some even called the local police at Leh airport for assistance.
Responding to the controversy, an Air India spokesperson cited weather-related weight restrictions as the reason for offloading the baggage. "Due to bad weather in Leh, the aircraft load had to be cut down for safety.
Ad-hoc arrangements have been made to send the luggage to Leh in subsequent flights," the airline stated.
Airport sources in Chandigarh confirmed that efforts are being made to send the left-behind baggage to Leh by Wednesday.
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Dubai flight cancelled for day
The Indigo flight to Dubai was also cancelled on Tuesday amid the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel. Indigo spokesperson at the airport said the cancellation was for one day but the fresh instructions will be received on Wednesday morning.
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