NEW DELHI: Over 175 passengers of an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Jaipur were left waiting inside the aircraft for nearly an hour on Friday night after one of the pilots failed to reach the airport on time. Heavy rain and waterlogging on the capital’s roads leading to the airport are believed to have caused the delay.
Flight 6E 6131 was scheduled to depart from Terminal 1 of IGIA at 8.20 pm and reach Jaipur at 9.10 pm. According to FlightAware, the aircraft eventually departed at 9.09 pm. The A321 aircraft had more than 175 passengers on board, including Rashtriya Loktantrik Party founder and Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal.
Airlines generally require cockpit crew operating domestic flights to report for duty about an hour before departure.
Beniwal, a frequent traveller between Delhi and Jaipur, told this newspaper, “All of us were aware of the weather conditions in Delhi. Anticipating traffic issues, I left my house at 6.05 pm to catch this flight. I had to make my way through two major traffic jams at Dhaula Kuan. Why did the pilot not start early?”
The MP said that after passengers were seated, the flight showed no signs of taking off. “I asked the crew the reason and learnt the pilot had not reached. It is understandable if bad weather or other unavoidable circumstances forces a flight to be delayed. This kind of a blunder by the pilot is just not acceptable,” he said.
Beniwal said passengers waited patiently without creating any commotion. “The flight finally took off after another IndiGo flight reached Delhi airport and its pilot was rushed to operate our plane,” he added. In a post on X, Beniwal asked, “If a passenger arrives an hour late for any reason, can the flight be held for an hour for them?” He also urged the Civil Aviation Minister to hold IndiGo accountable.
An aviation source familiar with the incident confirmed that the pilot could not reach the airport on time due to slow-moving traffic.
Responding to Beniwal, IndiGo said unforeseen circumstances occasionally affect flight operations. “In this instance, the flight was delayed due to significant traffic congestion on the city side, as incessant rainfall had led to widespread disruptions across the city,” it said. The airline also said its team made regular announcements to keep passengers informed.
Flight disruption
1 . Flight 6E 6131 was scheduled to depart Delhi’s Terminal 1 at 8.20 pm but took off at 9.09 pm, according to FlightAware, after another IndiGo pilot was reportedly brought in to operate.
2. Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal, who was onboard, questioned why the pilot had not anticipated traffic delays caused by heavy rain. He urged the Civil Aviation Minister to hold IndiGo accountable for the lapse.
3 .IndiGo attributed the delay to significant traffic congestion caused by incessant rainfall, saying its team made regular announcements to keep passengers informed throughout the situation and disruption.