As the Indian diaspora around the world began its journey home for Deepavali, the most important festival in the Indian calendar, a major disruption left hundreds in limbo. Air India’s scheduled Milan–Delhi flight (AI138), operated by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was abruptly cancelled at Milan’s Malpensa Airport due to a technical issue and the crew exceeding their permissible duty time. The fallout left over 250 passengers stranded, many of whom were eager to reunite with their families for the festival.

A Routine Departure Turns into a Nightmare

The incident occurred on October 17, when the aircraft had completed boarding and was ready to push back from the gate. However, during the initial push-back procedure — the process of moving the plane away from the terminal before taxiing — a tec

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