New Delhi, Nov 19: Air India will fly back at the earliest around 30 remaining passengers who were among those stranded in Phuket since last three days after the flight from the Thailand's city to Delhi was cancelled due to a technical issue, according to sources.

Some Air India passengers took to social media to complain that they have been stuck at Phuket since November 16.

In a statement on Tuesday, Air India regretted the inconvenience caused to the passengers of flight AI377 that was to operate from Phuket to Delhi on November 16 after it was cancelled due to a technical issue.

The source in the know said there were around 144 passengers booked in that flight and most of them have returned. Around 30 remaining passengers will be flown back at the earliest, mostly on Wednesday, they added.

Further, the source said the technical issue in the aircraft concerned has been rectified.

"While our staff on the ground made an effort to minimise their inconvenience, providing all on-ground assistance including hotel accommodations and meals, some of the guests were also accommodated on alternatively available flights. Passengers were also offered options for full refunds on cancellation and complimentary rescheduling," the airline said in the statement.

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Noida (PTI): IndiGo on Thursday announced that it will start commercial flight operations from the Noida International Airport in Jewar from June 15, becoming the launch carrier for the greenfield airport in western Uttar Pradesh.

The first day flights will be to and fro Lucknow and Bengaluru, the airline said in a statement.

Noida International Airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28.

IndiGo said it will be the first carrier to start commercial services from the airport, the third in the National Capital Region (NCR).

According to the airline, inaugural flights on June 15 will operate on the Lucknow-Noida-Bengaluru-Noida-Lucknow sector.

As per the announced schedule, flight 6E 2278 will depart from Lucknow at 7.05 am and arrive in Noida at 8.05 am before departing for Bengaluru at 8.35 am and landing there at 11.05 am.

The return flight, 6E 2279, will leave Bengaluru at 3.45 pm and reach Noida at 6.20 pm before departing for Lucknow at 6.55 pm and arriving there at 8 pm.

IndiGo said it will gradually introduce direct flights connecting Noida International Airport to more than 16 destinations across the country, including metro cities such as Bengaluru and Hyderabad, besides tier-2 and tier-3 cities like Amritsar, Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Jaipur, Lucknow, Navi Mumbai, Pantnagar and Srinagar.

The airline said bookings for the flights are being opened in phases through its website, mobile application and authorised travel partners.

Aloke Singh, Chief Strategy Officer of IndiGo, said the airline was pleased to announce the launch of operations from Noida International Airport.

"Strategically positioned on the Yamuna Expressway, Noida International Airport will be the new gateway for western Uttar Pradesh alongside the NCR. As we continue to expand our operations, we remain committed to delivering affordable, on-time and hassle-free travel experiences," Singh said.

IndiGo said the airport is expected to emerge as a major domestic aviation hub and will strengthen connectivity between Delhi-NCR and western Uttar Pradesh through integrated road and rail infrastructure.