Summary The governor's office said it has lodged a complaint with Air India and Aviation Ministry.
(Web Desk) - An Air India pilot refused to wait for Kerala governor P Sathasivam to board a Kochi-Thiruvananthapuram flight on Tuesday after he allegedly turned up late, reported Indian media.
The governor’s office said he reached the airport at least 10 minutes before the flight was scheduled to depart at 10.40 pm from Kochi airport but the pilot bluntly told Sathasivam that he couldn’t be accommodated on the plane as passenger boarding was already over.
Air India Kochi manager Patric Xavier said: “We were informed about the Governor’s journey. The flight from Delhi to Thiruvananthapuram via Kochi was scheduled to reach Kochi at 9.15 pm, but it landed in Kochi at 10.58 pm. The pilot said passengers would protest if the flight was further delayed.’’
Officials accompanying the governor tried to intervene but the pilot didn’t budge, forcing Sathasivam to spend night at the state guest house in Kochi. He took a morning flight and reached Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday. The governor’s office said it has lodged a complaint with Air India and Aviation Ministry. AI officials are yet to respond to the incident.
The AI 408 flight was scheduled to take off at 9.15 pm but was delayed till 10.45 pm. As per the changed schedule, the governor reached the airport 10 minutes before the departure. However, airport authorities later said the flight took off even before the governor reached the airport.
