KUALA LUMPUR – A homecoming flight from London to Kuala Lumpur turned into a distressing ordeal for a 23-year-old Malaysian and her father after Malaysia Airlines (MAS) abruptly rerouted the journey to Mumbai International Airport (BOM), leaving her and several other passengers stranded at the airport there.
Lawrence Sathiaraj, the father of the woman on the affected flight, expressed frustration at the lack of information provided, saying that he was also unable to keep in constant contact with his daughter.
He told Scoop that the airline cited “technical issues”, but offered no further explanation. As of the latest update, his daughter and several other passengers remain stranded at BOM with no assistance from MAS officials, he said.
He said his daughter reported that no MAS representatives were present at the airport, and updates came solely from airport officials.
“There was also no wifi at the airport and my daughter has been using (mobile) hotspot from other affected passengers for internet connection. They have been at the airport since 12.30pm today, and still no confirmation on whether they can come home today,” the distressed father told Scoop today.
The flight, originally scheduled to land at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) after a layover in Doha, made an unscheduled landing at BOM at 3.54pm Mumbai time on November 23.
He said that his daughter had boarded the flight from London on Thursday (November 23) at about 8.30pm London time, which was bound for Doha for a layover flight, before continuing its trip to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
However, instead of KLIA, the flight then landed at BOM at 3.54pm Mumbai time, yesterday (November 24), with passengers left clueless and their passports held by the airport’s immigration officers.
He claimed the passengers were held at the airport for seven hours, dealing with temporary passport issuance while their passports were held.
Sathiaraj added that MAS provided food only after checking them into Westin Mumbai around midnight.
Despite numerous attempts to contact MAS’ customer service, Sathiaraj claims he faced challenges reaching anyone for clarification.
Qatar Airways, a partner of MAS, redirected them back to MAS, claiming it was a local carrier issue. Conflicting information from airport customer service added to the confusion, he said.
Sathiaraj, hopeful after hearing that a flight is departing to KL at 8pm Mumbai time yesterday, rushed to KLIA. However, he later discovered that his daughter and other passengers were still in Mumbai – leading to further disappointment.
Today, Sathiaraj’s daughter and others returned to the airport at about 12.30pm Mumbai time, but were left in the dark on a rescheduled flight.
The situation became more complicated as Mumbai authorities required confirmation from MAS engineers to approve the flight home, he said.
Expressing his frustration, Lawrence vowed never to fly with MAS again and demanded a refund and compensation for the trauma, stress, and inconvenience caused.
He said some passengers may have missed important events such as graduations and wedding engagements.
Scoop has reached out to MAS for comment and is awaiting a response. – November 25, 2023