CHENNAI- Air India Express (IX) encountered its second consecutive day of operational challenges when flight IX-765 carrying 165 passengers failed to land at Veer Savarkar International Airport (IXZ) in Port Blair (Sri Vijaya Puram) on Wednesday, May 28, 2025.
The aircraft departed Chennai at 7:20 AM and reached Andaman airspace by 9:40 AM before adverse weather conditions forced the crew to abort the landing.
Air India Express Port Blair Flight
The Air India Express (IX) flight circled Port Blair’s airport (IXZ) for an extended period while pilots assessed landing conditions.
Unable to secure safe touchdown clearance due to deteriorating weather conditions, the aircraft returned to Chennai (MAA) and touched down at 12:30 PM, completing a five-hour round trip without reaching its intended destination.
Frustrated travellers confronted Air India Express (IX) representatives at Chennai Airport (MAA), demanding explanations for the airline’s inability to complete the journey while competitors operated successfully, DT Next reported
Passengers questioned why their carrier alone faced operational restrictions when other airlines maintained regular schedules to the same destination.
Airport authorities confirmed that three IndiGo (6E) flights and one Akasa Air (QP) flight completed their Chennai-Andaman routes without incident on the same day, intensifying passenger concerns about Air India Express’s operational capabilities.
Second Attempt
Following heated discussions between passengers and airline officials, Air India Express (IX) management decided to reboard all 165 travellers onto the same aircraft.
The flight departed Chennai (MAA) for a second attempt at 2:30 PM, with crews hoping improved weather conditions would permit successful landing operations.
Previous Day’s Disruptions
Tuesday witnessed identical circumstances when the Air India Express (IX) flight carrying 168 passengers failed twice to land in Andaman.
The repeated failures triggered passenger protests at Chennai Airport (MAA), with passengers staging sit-in demonstrations at the airline’s service counter.
Special Flight Arranged
Air India Express (IX) arranged emergency transportation during early Wednesday hours to accommodate passengers stranded from Tuesday’s failed attempts.
The special flight successfully transported the affected travellers to their Andaman destination, providing a temporary resolution to the previous day’s disruptions.
Weather Conditions
The consecutive failures highlight ongoing challenges faced by Air India Express (IX) in navigating weather-related operational constraints at Port Blair airport (IXZ).
While competitor airlines maintained regular schedules, Air India Express’s cautious approach to adverse conditions resulted in significant passenger inconvenience and operational delays across 2 consecutive days.
Port Blair’s Runway Restrictions
Landings at Port Blair’s Veer Savarkar International Airport (IXZ) are predominantly unidirectional.
While the airport has a single runway, all landings are typically directed towards Runway 04, while takeoffs occur from Runway 22. This is primarily due to terrain constraints, with high mountainous terrain located to the north and northwest of the airport.
Bottom Line
The repeated landing failures expose critical operational vulnerabilities in Air India Express’s weather management protocols compared to competitor airlines operating identical routes.
The incidents raise questions about pilot training standards for challenging terrain approaches and equipment capabilities for adverse weather operations at specialised airports like Port Blair (IXZ).
Passenger confidence in the carrier’s reliability may suffer following two consecutive service disruptions, potentially affecting future booking patterns for Andaman routes.
The airline faces pressure to enhance weather assessment procedures and crew preparation for unidirectional runway operations to prevent similar operational failures that compromise passenger schedules and generate negative publicity.
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