{"id":144478,"date":"2026-06-01T13:08:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T07:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/?p=144478"},"modified":"2026-06-01T12:44:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T07:14:45","slug":"british-airways-leaves-couple-stranded-in-india-for-12-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/01\/british-airways-leaves-couple-stranded-in-india-for-12-days\/","title":{"rendered":"British Airways Cancels Flight, Leaves Couple Stranded in India for 12 Days"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

LONDON\u2014<\/strong> A hotel manager from Wick faced a stressful end to his holiday after British Airways (BA)<\/a> cancelled his return flight, leaving him and his fianc\u00e9e stranded in India for nearly two weeks. The couple had travelled from Inverness (INV) to London Heathrow (LHR)<\/a> and onward to New Delhi (DEL) for a five-week trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ritesh Singh discovered the cancellation only when he tried to check in, having received no call, text, or email. British Airways told him the next available flight home was 12 days away and asked him to arrange and pay for his own accommodation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"British
Photo: Aero Icarus | Flickr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

British Airways Leaves Couple Stranded for 12 Days<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ritesh Singh (27), manager of Mackays Hotel in Wick, and his fianc\u00e9e Arpita Das (29) had flown to India for a five-week holiday. When Ritesh went to check in for the journey home, he learned that the British Airways flight had been cancelled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He called the airline to confirm the news. He said he had received no notification of any kind. According to Ritesh, the airline blamed a problem with its notification system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ritesh explained that he had already travelled back to New Delhi<\/a> and was far from his Indian hometown, which he said sits hundreds of miles away. He compared the distance to travelling from the northern tip of Scotland down to the English border. He also told the airline he had a connecting flight booked to Wick, where he has lived and worked for the past four or five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The couple was told the flight had been cancelled due to a technical problem rather than the wider travel disruption affecting the region at the time, the Johnogroat Journal<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo: By Anna Zvereva from Tallinn, Estonia – British Airways, G-ZBJC, Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, CC BY-SA 2.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=87549596<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

No Support From the Airline<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ritesh asked British Airways to bring the flight forward, suggesting a two or three-day wait would be manageable. He said a 12-day delay was far too long, especially as he had spent all his holiday money and would lose income for every day he remained stuck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the airline understood his situation but told him it could not do anything. When he asked for help with a hotel or meals, he said the airline told him to arrange everything himself and submit the costs for a refund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mounting Costs and Lost Wages<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

With no holiday money left, Ritesh relied on family and friends. The couple stayed with friends for a few days, then Ritesh borrowed money from relatives to book a hotel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He described spending the first few days running around to sort out accommodation and funds, while worrying about whether he would be repaid. He called it the worst flight experience he had ever had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arpita, who works behind the bar at the Norseman Hotel in Wick, said her employer was shocked by the extra 12-day delay but understood after she shared screenshots of the itinerary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the couple returned home, British Airways refunded their flight costs and additional hotel bills. The airline did not cover its lost earnings. Both lost 10 days of work, which Ritesh said added up to around \u00a32,000<\/strong>. He said the airline told him it could not cover that loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Holiday Planned Around Marriage<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The trip held special meaning for the couple. Ritesh said they had travelled to India<\/a> to plan their marriage, and their families met for the first time during the visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a hotel manager, Ritesh said he had planned the holiday so he could return in time for important functions at work. The delay caused him to miss several of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"British
Photo: By Anna Zvereva from Tallinn, Estonia – British Airways, G-XWBC, Airbus A350-1041, CC BY-SA 2.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=87549663<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

British Airways Responds<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A spokesperson for British Airways said conflict in the Middle East<\/a> had caused significant disruption to global air travel and increased demand across its flights. The spokesperson said teams worked hard to support customers and contacted them directly with a range of options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The airline said it had apologised, reimbursed all expenses, and offered a gesture to help put things right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ritesh said the experience cost the airline two loyal customers. He said the core issue came down to basic needs such as shelter and food, and worried about how someone without family support would have coped during the 12-day wait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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