More than 200 passengers on an IndiGo flight from Chennai to Singapore were forced to remain seated inside the plane for nearly five hours on Tuesday, far exceeding the actual flight time, sparking widespread frustration and the spread of a video depicting heated exchanges with airline staff.
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The IndiGo statement said that flight 6E 1025 was forced to return to the Gulf after discovering a minor technical problem. During the inspection and maintenance process, the cockpit crew exceeded the flight mission time limits, making a crew change mandatory and resulting in additional delays. “We regret the inconvenience caused to our customers and have done our best to minimize it by offering refreshments and sharing timely updates. At IndiGo, the safety of our customers and crew is our top priority,” the statement added.
The plane finally left only after a replacement crew was deployed. But passengers painted a different picture on social media. In a short video clip that went viral, several travelers were heard claiming that no clear reason for the long wait had been reported. Some asked how long they would have to wait and others inquired about the pilot.
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The flight, No. 6E1025, was scheduled to take off at 7:30 a.m., with boarding beginning one hour earlier. Although passengers were seated long before departure, the plane remained on the ground for hours. Infants, elderly passengers and working professionals were all stuck on the plane, and those who asked to get off out of discomfort were not allowed to do so for a long time, the Times Of India reported.
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Passengers also claimed that the original pilot exited the plane midway through the delay due to operating hours restrictions, and that the replacement pilot arrived around 11 a.m., according to the report. The plane finally took off at noon.
