New Delhi: A major technical snag hit an IndiGo flight, scheduled from Vadodara to Delhi, triggered uproar at the airport and delayed the flight’s departure.
With all passengers on the aircraft on flight 6E-657 the Ground Power Unit (GPU) suddenly malfunctioned while the aircraft was stationary on the tarmac. The outage led to a complete shutdown of cabin lights and airconditioning system. It created hot and sweltering, near-suffocating condition inside the sealed cabin, which was plunged into complete darkness.
After some time, the lights were on, but the airconditioning took some more minutes to be up and running again.
The ordeal lasted about half an hour, from 8.40 pm to 9.15 pm.
Some passengers recorded videos even in those trying times, and posted those on social media.
Distressed passengers were seen fanning themselves with whatever they could find, including files, newspapers and sticks.
Power failure on IndiGo 6E 657 at Vadodara Airport: Passengers stuck without AC, lights or ventilation for ~30 mins on ground.
Chaos inside! pic.twitter.com/6rrlXg2JhX
— Ghar Ke Kalesh (@gharkekalesh) May 18, 2026
Indigo flight 6e657 from baroda to delhi had no power for last 45-50 mins. now light has come but no ac. people are suffocating inside and crew isn’t allowing to deboard or open the doors @DGCAIndia pic.twitter.com/DRwZVALJLP
— riya (@reeyonisus) May 17, 2026
According to airport sources, the GPU failure disrupted the external power supply required to operate essential systems such as lighting and cooling when aircraft engines are off. Power was restored after technicians identified and repaired the fault.
The flight eventually took off for Delhi at 10 pm, after an hour and 20 minutes’ delay.