Passengers left without luggage as Air India drops cargo for takeoff
Air India, however, claimed that the stranded baggage of passengers had already been transported to the destination airport.
Mumbai: A group of passengers on board an Air India flight to the US from here had to travel without their baggage as the airline was forced to offload nine containers of checked-in baggage from the cargo hold after winds suddenly changed course just prior to the departure of the aircraft.
Air India, however, claimed that the stranded baggage of passengers had already been transported to the destination airport, Newark, in phased manner but they are awaiting clearance from the Liberty International Airports authorities.
The incident had taken place on December 17.
"The wind pattern at the Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport suddenly got changed and Air India was told to trim the weight of the Boeing 777 aircraft for a smooth take off," an Air India spokesperson said.
The payload of the aircraft could be reduced either by offloading passengers or some cargo (passengers baggage in the cargo), the spokesperson said, adding that "we decided to offload some of the baggage".
Consequently nine containers, each containing 25-30 bags, were taken off the aircraft, which were later transported from the airline's other flights to Newark, he said.