New Delhi: Indigo passengers of a flight from Delhi to Darbhanga in Bihar staged a sit-in protest at the airport's tarmac on Thursday evening and refused to leave after their delayed flight from Indira Gandhi International Airport was cancelled.
The cancellation was announced as night restrictions would be in place at Darbhanga airport when the flight reaches and landing would not be permitted. Security staff from the airport and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel were called to make the protesters vacate the area and escort them to the terminal.
Flight 6E360 was among the multiple flights at Delhi airport that suffered huge delays before take-off as water-logged roads in the City due to heavy rains and slow moving traffic made it difficult for both passengers and crew to reach the airport. Bad weather at the airport also caused delays.
The A320 Neo aircraft was scheduled to depart at 2 .20 pm but got delayed. It was finally readying to depart two hours later.
Passengers were seated inside the aircraft but the flight did not take-off for half an hour and an announcement was made that the trip had been cancelled.
According to a video released by one of the passengers on social media, the flyers were made to sit inside the plane for half an hour and then asked to deboard from it. The video showed many frustrated and angry passengers arguing with the CISF personnel after alighting while some were seen seated on the tarmac and refusing to budge when the security staff were asking them to leave.
Confirming the incident, Indigo said passengers were escorted from the runway to the terminal with the help of security agencies.
In a statement, the airline said, "The departure of IndiGo flight 6E 360 from Delhi to Darbhanga was delayed due to heavy rains, waterlogging, and traffic congestion in Delhi. Later, the flight had to be cancelled owing to watch hour restrictions at Darbhanga Airport that could not be extended. The customers at the tarmac were guided to the terminal with the support of security agencies at the airport and our team ensured their comfort. All possible arrangements were made for affected customers with refreshments, alternate scheduling option or cancellations with full refund. Our teams were present to assist and keep customers informed throughout the process."
The statement added, "At IndiGo, safety is our highest priority and we adhere strictly to all operational and regulatory guidelines. We regret the inconvenience caused to our customers, due to factors beyond the airline’s control."
Airport sources at Darbhanga airport told TNIE, “The airport is operated by the Indian Air Force. For security reasons, it is permitted to remain open only from 9 am to 5 pm. We follow strict sunset restrictions here. Hence, the Indigo flight could not operate yesterday evening as it would overshoot our timings.”
A similar cancellation due to the time restrictions happened to a Spicejet flight from Darbhanga to Delhi on July 19, he added.