Push-back rule not helping passengers

The new air transport circular issued by the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) asking airlines to push back on time has not really come to the aide of travellers.

On Monday, two airlines failed to push back their aircrafts on time, causing a delay of more than an hour. 

Air India’s (AI) IC 657 was to leave Delhi for Mumbai at 7am but got delayed by an hour and 20 minutes. “The flight was scheduled to leave at 6am but was merged with another flight that was to depart at 7am. We boarded the flight at 6.30am, but we were seated in it till 8.15am,” said Deepak Chatterjee, 55, a banker from Mumbai. 

The aggrieved passenger stated that the pilot announced that the flight could not leave as the air traffic control (ATC) had not given clearance. “But he refused to specify the reason. We later got to know that the airline had missed its push-back slot and got delayed.”  

The AI spokesperson confirmed that their flight did miss the push-back slot. Even Tapas Sen, 44, programming officer with a radio channel, was caught in a similar situation. His Jet Airways Delhi-Mumbai flight 9W 332 which was to take-off at 6.45am, left Delhi at 8.20am. “At 6.20am the pilot announced we cannot leave as we have missed the push-back slot,” said Sen. “The pilot kept announcing that we were ready to leave but the ATC was not giving clearance. It was finally at 8.10am that the plane left