NEW DELHI: Passengers on Air India Express flight IX-1226 from Guwahati to Kolkata endured a nightmarish 18-hour delay after their aircraft was grounded twice due to a technical snag, according to airline officials.The flight, carrying 170 passengers, was initially scheduled to depart from Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport at 9.20pm on Saturday. However, it was delayed past midnight, with passengers kept onboard for several hours. Around 1.30am, passengers were finally deboarded and shifted to a lounge, and later to a hotel — which some alleged was substandard and did not even offer breakfast, news agency PTI reported quoting a traveller from a viral video. The next morning, the same aircraft was used again, but the flight was grounded once more due to the same technical issue. Passengers were then taken back to the airport where officials informed them that an alternate aircraft would be arranged.The replacement flight eventually departed at 3.34pm on Sunday, with some passengers opting to travel via other airlines, as offered by Air India Express.An airline spokesperson said the original aircraft had developed a technical problem and an alternate plane was arranged the following day. “Guests were given recovery options including hotel stays, complimentary rescheduling or full refunds,” the official was quoted as saying by the news agency PTI.