BENGALURU: The incident of a pilot of an IndiGo flight refusing to fly the plane packed with passengers citing completion of duty hours, has kicked up a storm on social media. The incident, which happened on a Pune to Bengaluru flight, took place ten days ago, but came to light after a video of the incident was posted online.
The viral video has ignited a storm online, with the public criticising the pilot but those in the aviation industry insisting that the pilot was on the right side of the law as he could be penalised by the aviation regulator for exceeding daily duty hours.
A video of nearly 200 shocked passengers inside the jam-packed flight arguing and pleading with a woman cabin crew after she said the pilot would not be taking off has gone viral on social media. The pilot, meanwhile, is seen closing the cockpit door while angry flyers were calling out to him. The flight (6E 361) was finally flown hours later by a different pilot and reached Bengaluru five hours later.
Confirming the incident, Indigo in a statement, said, “Flight 6E 361 scheduled to operate from Pune to Bengaluru on September 24, 2024, was delayed due to operational reasons related to flight duty time limitations. Customers were kept informed about the delay and our team was available throughout the duration to assist customers. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
An aviation source told TNIE, “The pilot was completely in the right. There is a fixed number of hours for a pilot to fly on a daily basis. If he is caught violating that, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation can take him off duty, conduct an inquiry, and levy a high penalty on him.”
Aviation expert Captain Mohan Ranganathan said flying hours are fixed as the fatigue aspect comes into the picture. “In the case of any mishap with the pilot found exceeding duty hours, the insurance companies will refuse to pay either for the pilot or the aircraft.”