Three Days On, Air India Express Passengers Still Await Luggage Left Behind in Dubai

Travel & Tourism

Three Days On, Air India Express Passengers Still Await Luggage Left Behind in Dubai

Nearly 200 passengers who flew from Dubai to Lucknow on Air India Express flight IX-198 are still waiting for their luggage three days after arrival, as reports confirm that their checked-in bags were left behind at Dubai International Airport.

The incident, which occurred on November 3, has left travellers frustrated, with many making repeated trips to Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow in search of updates.

Passengers Left Stranded Without Essentials

Among those affected is SK, a Dubai resident who arrived in Lucknow to attend a family wedding. “My sherwani, shoes, and gifts were in my checked bag,” he told Khaleej Times. “I’ve been visiting the airport for three days, but they just say ‘maybe tomorrow.’ How do I attend a wedding like this?”

Passengers said that upon landing, they found the baggage carousel filled with luggage from an earlier flight, IX-194, instead of their own. Airline representatives reportedly informed them that their baggage had “missed the load” in Dubai and would arrive within 12 hours — a promise that remains unfulfilled.

Hundreds Affected, Few Answers

By Tuesday, frustrated passengers from across Uttar Pradesh — including Azamgarh and Kanpur — had made multiple visits to the airport. Many said customer care lines remained unanswered despite numerous attempts.

“We were given a helpline number, but no one picks up,” a passenger told Dainik Jagran. “Air India Express is not taking ownership.”

Airport officials have reportedly confirmed that around 200 passengers were affected and that the airline cited “operational reasons” for offloading the baggage in Dubai.

Social Media Outcry and Lack of Response

Several travellers took to X (formerly Twitter) to voice their anger and tag aviation authorities.
One user, Ameer Zada Khurram, wrote:

“I was travelling from Dubai to Lucknow with Air India Express flight IX-194. Didn’t receive my luggage, which was supposed to arrive today, but it hasn’t. This is very disappointing.”

Another passenger, Zafaryab Khan, said his brother’s luggage had not arrived and that customer support remained unresponsive.

Khaleej Times reached out to Air India Express for a comment, but no response was received at the time of publication.

Not the First Incident

This latest baggage delay follows a similar episode earlier in October, when a SpiceJet flight from Dubai to Delhi landed without a single piece of checked baggage, leaving passengers stranded at Indira Gandhi International Airport.