bound Air India flight was forced to abort its take off Saturday when a passenger overslept and did not disembark at his destination. Mohammed Rafeeq of Mallapuram, who had boarded Riyadh-Thiruvananthapuram-Kochi-Riyadh flight in Riyadh, was supposed to have deboard in Kochi but overslept and woke up only when the return flight was taxiing. He immediately alerted the crew, following which the aircraft was brought back to parking bay, airport sources said. The flight took off for Riyadh after a 30-minute delay after the passenger, Mohammed Rafeeq, disembarked. There are four flights in a week from Kochi to Riyadh, said a Jeddah-based official of Air India. Officials said it was a “calculation error” on the part of the crew who apparently mistook him for a passenger bound for Riyadh from Thiruvananthapuram. Air India authorities in Saudi Arabia was unable to comment since they have no idea about the news.
