Amid AC failure, passengers of Air India Express fight the heat by removing shirts, fanning magazines

'Air Conditioner (AC) is not working and passengers are faced unbearably hot in this flight, one of the passenger's health is very serious,' wrote a user on social media.

Passengers of Air India Express flight IX-1128 from Delhi to Bhubaneswar were subjected to discomfort due to a failure of the air-conditioning system on the aircraft.

Tusharkant Rout described the ordeal on LinkedIn, calling the situation “unbearable” and shared that the health of a fellow traveller significantly worsened due to the stifling heat.

In a post that is now going viral, Rout showed pictures of the suffering passengers, including a man who was photographed shirtless while others tried to cool themselves down by fanning magazines and by dousing themselves with water.

"Air Conditioner (AC) is not working and passengers are faced unbearably hot in this flight, one of the passenger's health is very serious,” wrote Tusharkant Rout on his LinkedIn. According to Rout, this flight took off from Delhi on May 11, just before 4 pm. He alleged that the air-conditioning system stopped functioning somewhere mid-flight, and despite passengers complaining a lot, the heat remained for approximately two hours, until the plane touched down. 

Air India Express offered to clarify that probably the air-conditioning system was functioning properly in a response to the viral post. "We’re sorry for the delay and any discomfort you experienced during your flight, Tusharkant. The cabin AC may feel less effective during boarding and taxiing due to open doors and limited power supply for operational reasons, but it becomes fully functional after takeoff." the airline wrote. 

"As you’ve completed your journey, we truly appreciate your feedback and remain committed to improving our services for a better experience next time," it continued.

The response by the airline fuelled backlash as many expressed concern regarding the safety and the comfort of passengers. 

“An organisation is built on people. I am 64 years of age and have travelled far and wide. In my life, i have not seen such an irresponsible, arrogant callous reply to a complaint. By being with the government airlines I think the employees have become irresponsible and having no ownership. Such employees should be kicked out and fresh employees have to be taken by Tatas and trained in their own style," remarked a user on LinkedIn.

Other users have also called for a boycott of the airline due to its poor services with one user suggesting IndiGo as an alternative and another user commenting “Sometimes, boycotting becomes necessary to make a company recognise that it has acted irresponsibly. Cost saving measures should not come at expense of someone’s well being or safety - there are situations where taking a stand is the only way to drive accountability.”