AI cancels Singapore flight, passengers stranded

As many as 260 passengers of a Singapore-bound Air India flight from Mumbai were stranded after the airline cancelled it citing non-availability of cockpit crew.

The flight, which was scheduled to take-off at 0005 hrs today, is now expected to depart for its destination tonight, an Air India spokesperson said.

"The Mumbai-Singapore flight AI342 with 260 passengers on board was cancelled due to non-availability of commander. The flight will now leave for Singapore at midnight today," the spokesperson said.

Air India has provided hotel and other facilities to the stranded passengers, the airline said, adding that some of the passengers have been booked on other flights.

The airline is facing acute shortage of pilots, particularly commanders, as a good number of them have quit the carrier for better prospects.

Late last month, Air India Mumbai-Riyadh flight was delayed by 20 hours, leading to chaos at the city airport. The airline had then attributed the inordinate delay to flight crew shortage.