LUCKNOW: The pilot of IndiGo flight 6E 6544, bound for Mumbai, refused to operate the aircraft at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi on Thursday, citing ill health, leaving passengers stranded.
IndiGo sources confirmed that the pilot had taken ill and informed the airline’s Ahmedabad office that he was unable to operate the flight.
The passengers were informed that the pilot would not operate the aircraft even before boarding commenced. Following this, the passengers created a commotion in the terminal building and accused the airline management of not providing accurate information.
The passengers had completed security checks and were waiting for boarding in the security hold area. According to sources, the pilot’s scheduled duty hours had also been completed, following which IndiGo began arranging an alternative crew.
The passengers alleged that they were not given accurate information in time. With no clear information about the flight, they created a commotion in the terminal building. They alleged that the flight was cancelled just when they were supposed to depart and that no clarity had been provided about the situation.
Sources said that following the passengers’ protest, IndiGo management arranged an alternative pilot to operate the flight.
Airport sources said IndiGo called an additional pilot from Ahmedabad, who landed in Varanasi at 1:30 pm.
The pilot from Ahmedabad operated the Mumbai-bound flight, which took off at 2:21 pm against its scheduled departure time of 10:45 am. The flight landed in Mumbai at 4:23 pm, resulting in a delay of around 3.5 hours.
Meanwhile, IndiGo sources said the alternate crew was arranged from Ahmedabad as Varanasi was not an IndiGo base. The airline also claimed that passengers were kept informed regularly.
