Chennai: It turned out to be a harrowing experience for over 200 passengers flying to Singapore on an IndiGo flight after they were made to wait inside the aircraft at Chennai airport for nearly five hours.
The wait was longer than the flight duration itself and the reaction of frustrated passengers was evident in a video that has now gone viral. Passengers can be seen and heard expressing anger at airline staff, claiming mistreatment and lack of clarity, as reported by News18.
It was much later that IndiGo explained that the delay occurred because the pilot noticed that the cabin temperature was higher than normal and alerted the engineering team.
Additionally, the cockpit crew had exceeded the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), necessitating the arrangement of a replacement crew, which caused further delays.
“We had to arrange an alternate crew, which took time,” the airline said, according to a report in The Times of India.
The flight – 6E1025 – was scheduled to depart at 7.30 am on Tuesday, with boarding beginning at 6.30 am. Passengers reported that the air conditioning repeatedly switched on and off, making the cabin uncomfortable, especially for infants, elderly passengers, and working professionals.
“There was no clear explanation and no transparent communication. The cabin air conditioning repeatedly switched on and off. Infants, children, elderly passengers and working professionals were on board. Passengers who requested to deboard due to discomfort were not permitted to do so for a considerable period,” a passenger posted on social media, it was mentioned in the report.
The pilot left in the middle of the chaos due to work-hour restrictions, passengers said and an alternate pilot took over at 11 am. The flight finally departed at 12 noon.
IndiGo sources, however, stated that passengers were kept informed throughout the delay and were provided with refreshments during the wait.
