Mumbai:

An IndiGo flight from Mumbai to Qatar’s Doha has been delayed with passengers alleging that they waited inside the aircraft for nearly five hours. The passengers claimed they were eventually asked to deboard the plane — which was scheduled to take off at 3:55 am — and were taken to the immigration waiting area at the Mumbai airport due to some “technical issue” with the aircraft.

About 250 to 300 passengers are reportedly stranded at the airport.

“We were not allowed to deboard the plane because immigration was over,” a passenger, who was flying with his wife and a child, told NDTV.

“They allowed us to wait in a holding area after we fought with them. No official is talking to us,” he alleged.

Another flyer said that they were not given any water or food.

“It is a chaos over here. People are worried as their jobs are at risk. Passengers are waiting with their children,” he said.

There was no official statement from IndiGo. However, the airline responded to a user on X, who alleged that the flight to Doha was “stuck” at Mumbai Airport due to a “technical problem”.

“The immigration authority is not giving permission to offload the passengers,” the flyer wrote on X, to which the airline said it “sincerely regrets the inconvenience”.

Hi, we sincerely regret the inconvenience. We request you to kindly share your contact number via DM so we may connect with you over a call. ~Laurette https://t.co/xcJPAig2qK

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) September 15, 2024

Earlier Saturday, passengers of a SpiceJet flight going from Delhi to Bihar’s Darbhanga had a heated exchange with the airline officials after the airline allegedly canceled the flight five minutes before boarding. They were waiting to board SpiceJet flight No. SG 495.

Some of the passengers who have been flying on the Delhi-Darbhanga route alleged the airline has been canceling flights on this route frequently for the last few months.

The airline hasn’t issued a statement on the matter yet.

An IndiGo passenger took to social media to recount her harrowing experience travelling by the airline. She stated that her flight was initially cancelled by the airline which cost her a lot and a day later, her flight was delayed.

The passenger, Swati Singh, took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, “Indigo flight cancellation cost me $$$$ and the manager response was-I have no option. What is India’s Aviation Minister doing?” She added in a follow-up post, “Hi, my pnr is GP5HGY and I had to miss my international flight to Seattle. This is making me think if I want to travel to India with experience like this. Also I have been here since 3 pm and no one ask us even a glass of water at 9:40 they are serving poor quality food.”

Ms Singh said that some passengers, who were diabetic patients, were “forced to eat sugary food to keep up with the inconvenience.” She said on May 11, “The managers answer is ‘we have no option’ Why is the aviation ministry not putting penalties on big corporations like #indigoairlines when common man is suffering?”

Another flight delayed by @IndiGo6E#diabetic patients forced to eat sugary food to keep up with the inconvenience. The managers answer is “we have no option “ Why is avaiatiin ministry not putting penalties on big corporations like #indigoairlines when common man is suffering? pic.twitter.com/AGz8sHDRYu

— Swati Singh (@swtsingh34) May 11, 2024

She also shared a video of an exchange between airline staff and an elderly passenger. The woman says in the clip, “We have been worried since yesterday afternoon. The urgent work that we needed to do could not be done. We will complain to IndiGo’s chairman in Delhi.”

The airline took note of the same and replied to Ms Singh’s post. The official account of IndiGo said, “Ma’am, this is not the experience we aim to provide our customers. We regret the inconvenience. Please share your PNR with us via DM so we may check this immediately and assist you further. Vandana”

Since being shared, the post has amassed a lot of reactions online.

“Airlines r taking Indians for a ride. They cancel flights & they are not penalised,” said a person.

Another wrote, “I guess Indigo is hiring in bulk without proper scrutiny and training of candidates. What quality will u expect. Definitely not a classy one.”

New Delhi:

The IndiGo flight coming from Mumbai to Istanbul has been delayed due to a technical issue, the airline said on Saturday.

According to the official statement, passengers for this flight are being accommodated on two special flights operated by A32x aircraft.

“IndiGo’s flight 6E18 from Mumbai to Istanbul has been delayed due to a technical issue with the incoming aircraft from Istanbul. Passengers for this flight are being accommodated on 2 special flights operated by A32x aircraft and, we are currently working with the regulator to obtain the requisite clearances at the earliest,” an official statement said.

“At this moment, ensuring passengers’ comfort caused by this unforeseen situation is our top priority and we are providing alternate options, rescheduling, and refunds as per norms. IndiGo sincerely apologizes for the inconvenience resulting from this delay,” it added.

Earlier, a 42-year-old passenger travelling in an IndiGo flight on Tuesday was arrested by the Mumbai police for smoking beedi onboard.

When the incident came before the crew member of IndiGo, they immediately stopped him, said officials.

When the plane landed at Mumbai Airport, the passenger was handed over to the police.

A case has been registered against the accused identified as Mohammed Fakruddin under section 336 of the IPPC and Aircraft Act. The accused is currently in judicial custody, said police.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)