KOCHI: Hundreds of passengers flying from Delhi to Kochi on Sunday morning faced a harrowing experience after their scheduled IndiGo flight was delayed for hours due to a technical snag.
The early morning flight, initially set to depart at 5am, reportedly attempted to take off three times before being grounded. As a result, travellers, who had arrived at the airport around 3am, were left stranded for hours at the Delhi airport.
This caused significant distress among passengers, many of whom were heading home or connecting to other destinations. Meanwhile, IndiGo confirmed that the issue was a technical glitch and, as a safety measure, deboarded all passengers.
“The plane was taken to the bay with all the passengers. The airline made sure they passed on the information and updates timely. They also provided food (millets, biscuits and juice) to the passengers. Finally another flight was arranged,” said a passenger on condition of anonymity. The flight finally departed at 8.45am and landed in Kochi at 12.20pm.
Airline officials stated that they arranged an alternative aircraft to complete the journey. The airline apologised for the inconvenience, reiterating that passenger safety was the utmost priority. “We have zero tolerance with safety,” said an airline spokesperson.
However, the incident has once again highlighted concerns about flight maintenance and airlines’ handling of technical emergencies.