- By Yashashvi Tak
- Tue, 13 Jan 2026 12:04 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Akasa Air flight from Pune to Bengaluru caused major inconvenience to passengers on Tuesday after a last-minute technical snag forced the airline to ask all travellers to deplane, even after they had been seated inside the aircraft for nearly one and a half hours.
The Boeing 737 MAX was scheduled to depart Pune at 8:50 am, with boarding beginning around 8:10 am. According to a passenger onboard, the aircraft was almost ready for take-off when a sudden technical issue was detected, prompting the crew to halt the departure and instruct everyone to disembark.
As of the latest update, the airline had not announced any revised departure time, leaving many passengers waiting inside the terminal without clarity on when the flight would resume operations.
"Akasa Air Bangalore-bound flight, QP1312 from Pune on January 13 is held up at Pune airport. Passengers had boarded the aircraft and the flight was getting ready for departure when some technical issue was reported in the aircraft at the last minute. Later all the passengers were deplaned," the passenger told PTI from Pune.
Akasa Air Joins IATA
Meanwhile, Akasa Air last week became a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the global airline industry body representing over 360 carriers worldwide, including Indian airlines such as Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo and SpiceJet. In a statement issued on Friday, the airline said it earned the membership after successfully completing the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), a mandatory requirement for joining the organisation.
"We are excited to welcome Akasa Air as an IATA member. India's aviation potential is huge, with the industry supporting 7.7 million jobs and USD 53.6 billion in economic contribution," Regional Vice President for Asia-Pacific for IATA Sheldon Hee said.