An Air India Express flight (IX814) scheduled to depart from Dubai Airport Terminal 2 to Mangalore, India, has been delayed by nearly 12 hours, said agitated passengers.

The flight to Mangalore was scheduled to depart at 11.40 pm on Saturday, however, passengers were stranded at the airport till 4am Sunday morning. Most passengers were families, and some were traveling on emergencies.

Meanwhile, Air India Express has citied technical difficulties for the unexpected delays. AIE has assured passengers that the flight will take off by Sunday 1pm. The passengers have been requested to check-in again at 11 am Sunday.

Ayaz Syed, a Dubai resident told Khaleej Times, "We completed check-in by 9.30pm. After waiting till 1am, we were provided food and snacks from a fastfood restaurant in the airport. We were stranded at the airport till 4am. The airline did offer hotel stay to those interested, but we chose to go back home." Passengers said they were also offered taxi fares to and from the airport.

Another Dubai resident Syed Hassan was on his way to Mangalore to attend his daughter's wedding. "I booked the ticket three months ago. The wedding itself is on 21st, but I have a lot of work to complete and have a planned trip to Mumbai on the 11th," lamented Hassan.

He added, "We began our long wait at 9 pm, and at 2 am we were told about the technical difficulties. We had to exit the airport through immigration all over again."

Hassan said it was a harrowing experience, ad the airline did a very poor job of communicating with the passengers. "At 12.40pm last night, the announcement was made on a ticker screen. No one was there to hear our grievances. Finally, at 4am, we were told by the airport manager that the aircraft cannot fly till the technical issue is cleared," added Hassan. The passengers were given options, which included hotel accommodations, taxi fare, or they could return home. "My family and I chose to get back home," added Hassan.

A spokesperson for Air India Express told Khaleej Times that the flight was delayed due to technical issues.

"The safety of our passengers are our utmost priority. The aircraft IX814 came across certain technical difficulties that required immediate repairs with the use of spare equipment," said the official.

"We have to bring them in from India, after which our engineers need to fix the issues and complete certain test runs to ensure all safety protocols are followed," he added.

The official said the exact time of departure will be conveyed to the passengers at the earliest. "Some of the passengers were given hotel accommodation as well," said the official.

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com