More than 100 travelers enroute to Istanbul were left stuck at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai after a technical problem resulted in a 16-hour delay on Saturday.
IndiGo has since expressed regret for the inconvenience caused.
Flight 6E17 was originally set to depart for Istanbul at 6:55 am, but the airline later announced that a replacement aircraft would be provided, resulting in a final departure time of 11 pm.
“We sincerely apologize for the disruption related to our flight 6E17 from Mumbai to Istanbul, which experienced delays due to technical difficulties. Despite our attempts to fix the situation and get the flight moving, we ultimately had to cancel it,” the airline said in a statement in the evening.
“A substitute aircraft is now scheduled to leave at 2300 hrs. We aim to reassure our passengers that their safety and comfort are our top concerns,” it added.
Reports indicate the flight faced multiple delays, with passengers repeatedly entering and exiting the plane before they received the final information on the departure timing.
Many passengers, mostly students, organized a protest at the airport, demanding either refunds or alternative flights, as reported by sources.
Numerous individuals took to social media, voicing their frustrations over the prolonged delay.
“My brother has been stuck at the Mumbai International Airport for over 12 hours due to extremely unprofessional behavior by @IndiGo6E and their staff. He was booked on a flight to Istanbul that was delayed, and he was asked to board and de-board multiple times!!,” tweeted Sonam Saigal, an X user.
“The staff is very rude and refuse to provide answers about rescheduling and refunds. There are 492 other passengers waiting for any basic communication from the @IndiGo6E staff. Highly disappointing behavior…” she added.
Another passenger, Sachin Chintalwad, expressed worries about potentially missing his connecting flight to Washington from Istanbul due to the delay.
“Dear indigo this is not fair… Now it’s a 5 hr. Delay (sic) for 6E 17 from Mumbai to Istanbul. I have a connecting flight from Istanbul to IAD Washington and I’m going to miss that. The next flight is also operated by indigo… Please suggest what to do,” he said.
Biresh Kumar Singh, another impacted passenger, shared his dissatisfaction: “Flight 6E17 to Istanbul, scheduled for 6:55 am, has yet to depart from Mumbai. Passengers are being moved back and forth between the aerobridge and waiting area, while staff seem clueless about the situation and when we can expect takeoff – terrible service, passengers feel taken for granted.”
AI generated news post.
