Air India Express (IX) has come under intense scrutiny following two consecutive days of operational challenges, culminating in flight IX-765, carrying 165 passengers, failing to land at Veer Savarkar International Airport (IXZ) in Port Blair on Wednesday, May 28, 2025.
This recurrent inability to complete its Chennai-Port Blair route, particularly when rival carriers successfully navigated the same conditions, has ignited widespread passenger frustration and raised critical questions about Air India Express’s weather management protocols and pilot training standards for challenging approaches. The incidents highlight vulnerabilities in the airline’s resilience, impacting passenger confidence and underscoring the vital need for reliable air connectivity in achieving sustainable and accessible urban centres. On Wednesday, flight IX-765 departed Chennai at 7:20 AM and reached Andaman airspace by 9:40 AM. However, adverse weather conditions over Port Blair forced the crew to abort the initial landing attempt. The aircraft subsequently circled the airport for an extended period as pilots meticulously assessed the prevailing landing conditions. Despite prolonged efforts, the flight was unable to secure safe touchdown clearance, compelling the aircraft to return to Chennai, where it touched down at 12:30 PM. This five-hour round trip, concluding without reaching its intended destination, left 165 frustrated travellers confronting Air India Express representatives at Chennai Airport, demanding immediate explanations for the airline’s operational discrepancies.
The core of passenger grievances stemmed from the stark contrast in performance compared to other airlines. Travellers vociferously questioned why their carrier alone faced operational restrictions when competitors maintained regular schedules to the same destination on the very same day. Airport authorities corroborated these concerns, confirming that three IndiGo (6E) flights and one Akasa Air (QP) flight successfully completed their Chennai-Andaman routes without incident. This stark disparity intensified passenger anxieties regarding Air India Express’s operational capabilities and its preparedness for the unique challenges posed by airports like Port Blair.
Adding to the saga, Tuesday, May 27, witnessed an identical scenario when an Air India Express flight, carrying 168 passengers, failed twice to land in Andaman. These repeated failures triggered widespread passenger protests at Chennai Airport, with stranded travellers staging sit-in demonstrations at the airline’s service counter, demanding accountability and resolution. In response to the previous day’s disruptions, Air India Express eventually arranged emergency transportation during the early hours of Wednesday, successfully transporting the affected travellers to their Andaman destination, providing a temporary albeit belated resolution.
Following heated discussions and passenger demands for a second attempt, Air India Express management made the decision to reboard all 165 travellers onto the same aircraft for another try on Wednesday afternoon. The flight departed Chennai at 2:30 PM, with crews optimistically hoping that improved weather conditions would finally permit a successful landing. While the outcome of this second attempt was not immediately detailed, the consecutive failures underscore ongoing challenges faced by Air India Express in navigating weather-related operational constraints at Port Blair.
Port Blair’s Veer Savarkar International Airport (IXZ) presents unique landing challenges due to its predominantly unidirectional runway operations. Despite having a single runway, all landings are typically directed towards Runway 04, with takeoffs occurring from Runway 22. This constraint is primarily due to the presence of high mountainous terrain located to the north and northwest of the airport, necessitating precise approaches and stringent weather criteria. While competitor airlines seemingly adapted to these conditions, Air India Express’s more cautious approach, or perhaps specific internal protocols, resulted in significant passenger inconvenience and sustained operational delays across two consecutive days.
These repeated landing failures expose critical operational vulnerabilities within Air India Express’s weather management protocols when compared to competitor airlines operating identical routes to a specialised airport like Port Blair. The incidents inevitably raise pertinent questions about pilot training standards for challenging terrain approaches and the efficacy of equipment capabilities for adverse weather operations at such unique airports. The cumulative effect of two consecutive service disruptions is likely to erode passenger confidence in the carrier’s reliability, potentially impacting future booking patterns for the popular Andaman routes. Air India Express now faces considerable pressure to swiftly enhance its weather assessment procedures and crew preparation for unidirectional runway operations to prevent similar operational failures that compromise passenger schedules and generate pervasive negative publicity, ensuring it contributes to reliable, low-carbon connectivity vital for sustainable urban development.
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