No AC, No Help: Air India Passengers Endure 5-Hour Ordeal

Air India is once again under fire after a harrowing video from inside one of its international flights went viral, exposing passengers trapped in sweltering conditions without air conditioning for over five hours. The footage, shared by content creator Aarzoo Sethi, has triggered widespread backlash, reigniting concerns over passenger safety and accountability in India’s aviation sector.

The incident occurred aboard Air India Express Flight IX196, en route from Jaipur to Dubai. In the now-viral clip—garnering over 16 million views on social media—Sethi documents the ordeal faced by passengers, including her young son, as they sweat profusely and attempt to cool themselves using safety instruction cards. Dozens of passengers can be seen ringing their call bells simultaneously, desperately seeking assistance that never came.

“This is absolutely unacceptable,” Sethi says in the video, visibly distressed. “It’s 12.30 AM, and there is zero accountability. Everyone is suffering, and there’s no response from the airline.”

In her accompanying post on social media, Sethi detailed the nightmarish experience: “We were trapped inside an @airindiax flight for over five hours with no air conditioning, no communication, and no help from the crew. People were panicking, children were crying, and there was no information about what was going on.”

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A post shared by Aarzoo Sethi (@dietnaree)

Her post, which tagged Air India, pointed to the broader pattern of alleged negligence. “After the Ahmedabad flight incident, this was terrifying. How are such technical and operational failures repeating themselves? This isn’t just mismanagement—it’s a major safety lapse. When will the airline take responsibility for its passengers’ well-being?”

Public reaction was swift and scathing. Social media users condemned the airline for what they described as a complete failure in passenger care. “This is horrifying!!” one user commented. Others expressed disbelief that such a situation could unfold on an international flight, calling it “inhumane” and “utterly disgraceful.”

In the wake of the uproar, a flight attendant named Vrinda took to social media to defend the cabin crew, offering insight into the limitations they face during such emergencies. “When the seatbelt sign is on—especially during turbulence—we’re not permitted to move around the cabin, even if passengers are pressing the call buttons,” she explained. “It’s not about ignoring anyone. Our primary responsibility is safety, and legally, we cannot attend to non-emergency calls until conditions are safe enough to do so.”

However, this explanation did little to pacify frustrated passengers and critics, who argue that technical failures like a non-functional air conditioning system should never reach the point of endangering health. Aviation experts have weighed in, calling for urgent reforms in how airlines handle inflight emergencies and communicate with passengers during crises.

This latest controversy comes at a time when Air India is already grappling with public scrutiny over a spate of recent service issues. As the airline embarks on a high-profile revamp under the Tata Group, incidents like this threaten to undermine efforts to restore its reputation.

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