New Delhi: An IndiGo Airlines flight from Delhi to Hyderabad was delayed by hours and has created a ruckus on social media. A woman from Delhi, Diirgha Gupta, has launched a scathing attack on IndiGo over the heavy delay in the flight, the plight of passengers and the “mismanagement” of the airline. Diirgha shared a long post on LinkedIn to express her anger and called it a “violation of passenger rights”.
Diirgha Gupta’s friend was on board flight number 6E-329 from Delhi to Hyderabad at 9:30 pm on April 11. But this flight departed at 5:37 am on April 12, about 8 hours late from the scheduled time. Diirgha blamed the airline’s “mismanagement, misinformation and indifference” for this delay. In her post, she wrote, “What should have been a 2-hour flight turned into a 9+ hour ordeal. Passengers waited in buses, were bitten by mosquitoes, got no food, or any assistance.”
Ground staff showed indifference, passengers got no hope
Deergha also shared videos of the flight in her post, in which distressed passengers are seen surrounded by airline staff. She said that confusing announcements were being made every 20-30 minutes in the flight and passengers were sitting in buses or on the plane for hours. She wrote, “The ground staff casually replied that ‘we can’t do anything’. From 9:30 pm to 5 am, passengers were tired and felt completely helpless.”
IndiGo gave an explanation, but the anger did not subside
After Deergha’s post went viral, IndiGo Airlines gave an official response, blaming “fierce thunderstorm” and “heavy air traffic” for the delay. The airline said that weather conditions and operational constraints were not under their control. IndiGo wrote, “Your flight was delayed due to the severe storm that hit Delhi yesterday evening, which disrupted air traffic. We are grateful for your patience and support.”
Dirgha rejected IndiGo’s reply
However, Dirgha termed the airline’s reply as “misleading” and said that other flights were flying normally during the same time. She also alleged that the passengers were not allowed to deboard the plane at 4:30 am, despite repeated requests. She wrote in her second post, “Thank you for your reply, but I do not agree with it. We were kept locked in the plane for more than three hours and were not allowed to deboard even after repeated requests. Communication was completely absent.”
Citing DGCA rules
Deergha termed the entire incident as a violation of the rules of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and said that it is a violation of the rights of passengers under ‘Section 3 – Air Transport, Series M, Part IV’.
At present, IndiGo has not responded to Deergha’s second post, but this incident has sparked a new debate on social media regarding passenger facilities and airline accountability.
