BY VEENA RAO
New York City / Mumbai, March 26, 2026: Passengers on Air India flight AI116 from New York to Mumbai, which made an emergency landing in Medina on March 19, say they reached their destination—but not their belongings.
While initial reports focused on the safe diversion of the Boeing 777 following a cockpit warning of a possible fire in the cargo hold, passengers are now raising concerns that their checked baggage from the flight was left behind in Medina without a clear explanation from the airline.
Neil, whose wife and four-year-old son were on board the flight, told NRI Pulse that passengers only discovered upon arrival in Mumbai that their bags had not accompanied them.
“What is not being reported is that Air India left all the checked bags for passengers in Medina,” he said. “Only upon arriving in Mumbai did passengers find out that their bags were stuck in another country.”
According to Neil, communication from the airline has been inconsistent. “Two days ago, we were told the bags were on their way to Jeddah and would arrive in Mumbai by March 28. Now Air India is citing ‘geopolitical’ reasons and giving no timeline,” he said.
Neil and his wife have been tracking their luggage using Apple AirTags, which continue to show the bags in Medina. The lack of clarity around why the baggage was offloaded—and why it has not yet been forwarded to Mumbai—has added to frustration.
“It’s quite an extraordinary situation,” Neil said. “The airline has not explained why they left the bags there in the first place, especially when passengers did not deplane in Medina.”
The situation has been particularly stressful for families traveling with children. Neil said his young son’s medications were packed in checked baggage. “This has been very difficult. We are dealing with uncertainty and a lack of accountability.”
In an email sent to passengers, Air India acknowledged the issue, stating: “Geopolitical constraints are hampering baggage retrieval. Our teams are actively working to reunite your bags as soon as possible, despite these constraints.”
However, the airline has not publicly clarified what those constraints are, nor why baggage could not be rerouted through Jeddah, where it operates regular flights to Mumbai.
The incident began when flight AI116, en route from JFK to Mumbai, was diverted to Medina after a cockpit warning indicated a possible fire in the aft cargo hold. The aircraft landed safely, and subsequent inspections confirmed the alert was false. The flight later resumed its journey to Mumbai without further incident.
Air India has emphasized that all safety protocols were followed and no injuries were reported. But for many passengers, the aftermath—particularly the handling of baggage—remains unresolved.
As of now, there is no confirmed timeline for when the stranded baggage will reach Mumbai.
Requests for comment sent to Air India were not answered at the time of publication.
