Mumbai: Dog flies off, but 12 pets fail to take off in Kolkata-bound flight due to technical glitch

Keeping all the safety norms in mind, the offloading of all the nine pets was done for their well-being who were all set to travel in the cargo hold of the flight.

Key Highlights

• The aircraft faced some pressurisation issue.

• The offloading of all the nine pets was done for their well-being

• Passengers could travel on the next available flight to Kolkata with their pets at no extra charge

New Delhi: The Air India aircraft from Mumbai to Kolkata faced technical glitch and the nine pets booked to fly in the cargo hold were offloaded. The Commander also denied boarding of three other pets who were supposed to fly in the cabin.

According to Air India spokesperson, the aircraft faced some pressurisation issue. “It resulted in an inconsistent flow of oxygen into only the cargo hold, said the spokesperson, according to the Times of India.

Thus, keeping all the safety norms in mind, the offloading of all the nine pets was done for their well-being who were all set to travel in the cargo hold of the flight.

Lucky dog flies off

It was indeed a lucky day for the dog as it was the only pet that was allowed to travel in the passenger cabin. According to the AI spokesperson, The cats were not accepted in the cabin by the Commander. Our policy on carriage of pets [available on Air India’s website] … states that carriage of pets in the passenger cabin is subject to the approval of the commander of the flight."

The cat owner, however, refuted to Air India claims where it said that the feline cages did not conform to specifications for carriage in the cargo hold.

Ray of hope

However, the only ray of hope for the passengers was that they could travel on the next available flight to Kolkata with their pets at no extra charge. However, one of the passengers of the Air India flight took to social media to vent her anger. She stated that she had reached the airport at 1 AM as her flight for scheduled at 6.15 am.

However, she was informed at 4.45 am that the captain doesn't like flying with cats. She also stated that her flight has been rescheduled for Monday morning along with her cat.