Thousands of passengers are still affected by technical issues impacting IndiGo flights on the Istanbul-India route. With hundreds of passengers stranded in Istanbul, IndiGo has announced plans to deploy a relief aircraft, expected to bring them back to India in approximately 20 hours, according to NDTV.
Over the past two days, two IndiGo flights—one from Istanbul to Delhi and another from Istanbul to Mumbai—were reportedly cancelled without providing alternative flights or accommodations, stranding passengers. Additionally, several other flights on these routes were delayed, likely causing passengers to miss their onward connections with Turkish Airlines, with which IndiGo has a codeshare agreement.
IndiGo operates Boeing 777 aircraft on these routes, which can accommodate over 500 passengers. In a statement, the airline mentioned that passengers on the Istanbul-Delhi 6E12 flight were rebooked on other flights to reach their destinations. It also highlighted that stranded passengers were offered hotel accommodations, either at the airport or nearby, depending on whether they held e-visas for Turkey.
The Indian Embassy in Istanbul confirmed it was coordinating with the airline and assisting stranded passengers, providing them with lounge access, accommodation, and meals.
Earlier this month, the AirHelp Score Report 2024 ranked IndiGo as one of the worst airlines globally, placing it 103rd out of 109 airlines analyzed. Air India ranked 61st, while AirAsia was 94th.
In another incident, an IndiGo flight traveling to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, had to make an emergency landing at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport in Pakistan due to a medical emergency. The flight, which had departed from New Delhi, was in Pakistani airspace when a male passenger fell critically ill, as reported by sources from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).