Mangalore passengers from Dubai turns furious after Mangaluru-bound flight lands in Bengaluru

Mangalore passengers from Dubai turns furious after Mangaluru-bound flight lands in Bengaluru

mangaloretoday.com

Mangaluru, October 1, 2025: Passengers on Air India Express flight IX-814, operating from Dubai to Mangaluru on September 27, said they faced long hours of waiting after the service was diverted to Bengaluru instead of its scheduled destination.

Travellers said this was the second such incident with the airline in two weeks. On September 17, flight IX-832, which departed Dubai on time, also landed in Bengaluru instead of Mangaluru.

What happened on September 27

One of the passengers, Fawaz, was on board IX-814 that departed Dubai on time on September 27. The flight was scheduled to arrive after noon but landed at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru.

“The flight, which was supposed to land in Mangaluru, was diverted to Bengaluru. Passengers were not given proper communication regarding the reason for diversion,” said Fawaz.

“After landing, no clear information was provided about when or how we would be transported to our destination,” he added.

According to him, passengers waited on the tarmac for hours. Families with children and elderly travellers were affected as they had no clear idea of the onward arrangements.

Another traveller, Rafiq, said that when the flight landed, many people thought there had been some problem.

“Initially, we thought something was wrong because the landing was unexpected. After reaching Bengaluru, we were hoping to get updates, but no proper information was given. Everyone was left waiting and there was no guidance on how long it would take for us to reach our destination,” he said.

He mentioned that the passengers kept approaching staff at the airport but were not given any confirmed timeline.

Diversion on September 17

The September 27 diversion was not the first time passengers of IX-814 had gone through this. On September 17, Saleem K, who travelled on the same route, said he also had to wait in Bengaluru before being moved onward.

“We reached Bengaluru in the morning, but the onward arrangements were delayed. We had to wait at the airport for hours, and finally reached our destination only around 5pm. It was a very tiring day,” he said.

A video shared on social media shows passengers engaged in a verbal exchange at Bengaluru airport after landing. The clip shows travellers questioning staff about the delays and demanding answers, adding to the growing complaints about the handling of such diversions.

An Air India Express spokesperson told Khaleej Times that the diversion was due to bad weather in Mangaluru.

“On September 27, 2025, due to adverse weather conditions, one of our flights to Mangaluru was diverted to Bengaluru. Once the weather improved, the flight operated to Mangaluru with a consequential delay,” said the spokesperson in a statement.

“We provided refreshments to all guests during the delay and regret the inconvenience caused due to circumstances beyond our control.”