The harried passengers had literally been stood up by an Air India airline crew in Cairo, for 16 hours on end - all because the crew members wanted to see the great pyramids of Egypt.

The flight, which was originally scheduled from Mumbai to Toronto, had to be diverted to Frankfurt via Cairo. However, on April 15, when the Boeing 777 landed at Cairo airport, fliers had little idea of what was in store for them.

After waiting for a few hours, the passengers initially thought there was a technical snag. However, they were surprised to note that the pilot was there in his seat, but the seven-member crew from Cairo that was supposed to board the flight was missing. To add to their shock, they learnt that the missing members were actually sight seeing, which was why they could not return in time for the flight's onward journey.

An Air India spokesperson, confirming the incident, said, "We have initiated action against the crew members who did not report to work on time. Stern action will be taken against them."

One of the crewmembers admitted that they were off to see the pyramids, but denied that the delay was for 16 hours. He said that they were late by only five hours.

"Language is a big problem in Egypt. Hotel accommodation was not provided on time and when we reached Cairo, we were taken to a different terminal, which added to the delay," he added.