CHENNAI: Many passengers on Air India Express flight Kuwait We were shocked flying to Chennai on Monday as they couldn’t find our checked luggage on the conveyor belt. Airlines impounded their luggage to maintain air freight weight.
The Air India Express A320 flight landed in Chennai around 6:30 am on Monday with around 176 passengers on board. They arrive at the arrivals terminal and collect their checked luggage from the conveyor belt, but most cannot find their luggage.
Distraught passengers were confronted by airline ground staff and told that some luggage was being left in Kuwait to maintain the flight’s air weight. Shocked passengers started arguing with the staff, who assured them that the remaining luggage would arrive in Chennai on Wednesday and Thursday and be delivered to the doorsteps of the respective passengers.
An Air India Express spokesperson said: “Due to payload constraints, one of the flights operating on the Kuwait-Chennai route on Monday was unable to carry some checked baggage. We apologize for the inconvenience caused to our passengers. Arrangements have been made Affected baggage will be transported to the relevant passenger’s residence as soon as possible at the airline’s expense.
However, C Mohan, a retired Air India official, said this was clearly the airline’s mistake. “Planes cannot always be fully loaded with passengers. In aviation, this is called Regulated Takeoff Weight (RTOW). It is the airport manager’s responsibility to plan ahead and keep weight within RTOW limits. , operating hours and distance covered (airline segment) plays a vital role in deciding the RTOW (number of passengers and baggage an aircraft can carry), in which case airport managers should limit the number of passengers to between 120 and 140 people.
Mohan said separation of passengers from checked baggage is not allowed. “Passengers are disappointed when they can’t get their luggage. Additionally, arranging delivery puts an additional burden on the airline,” he said.
