Jaipur: The cancellation of the Delhi-bound Air India Flight on Wednesday after the pilot exhausted flying hours has been termed by the airline as cancellation due to ‘technical grounds’.

According to airport officials, this happened because of the prolonged delay of a flight in Jaipur. The flight arrived in Jaipur at 1am (Thursday) from Lucknow as against the scheduled arrival of 9pm.

“The delay exhausted the flying hours of the pilot. The pilot cannot then fly as it’s tantamount to gross violation of rules,” said the official.

The Jaipur Airport Authority had passed the blame to the concerned airline and stated that they had no say in such a situation. “The concerned airline has to ensure that passengers reach the destination,” said Jaideep Singh Balhara, director, Jaipur airport. TOI repeatedly called the Air India office but received no response.