IndiGo passengers dine on Mumbai airport tarmac after 12-hour delay; video goes viral
The flight that took off from Goa could not land at the Delhi airport due to dense fog, and was diverted to the Mumbai airport on Sunday
Many passengers rushed out of an IndiGo aircraft at the Mumbai airport, sat on the tarmac, and some were also seen having food there as soon as their diverted Goa-Delhi flight landed after a long delay on Sunday.
A short video clipping of the incident was shared on social media, following which Mumbai airport claimed that the airport operators in coordination with the Quick Response Team (QRT) of the CISF "cordoned off the passengers into a safety zone".
An IndiGo spokesperson said the airline was looking into the incident and "sincerely apologised" to its customers. The flight that took off from Goa could not land at the Delhi airport due to dense fog, and was diverted to the Mumbai airport on Sunday.
A significant number of flights were impacted at the Delhi airport on Sunday due to dense fog and low visibility conditions.
"IndiGo flight 6E 2195 (Goa to Delhi) was diverted due to unfavourable weather conditions. As the flight was already significantly delayed in Goa, passengers were irate and rushed out of the aircraft as soon as the step ladder was connected," a Mumbai airport spokesperson said in a statement.
According to the spokesperson, the airport operator in coordination with CISF QRT cordoned off the passengers into a safety zone as "passengers refused to get into the airline coach and proceed to the terminal building".
Further, the spokesperson said the passengers were kept under the strict watch of the airline authorities and security until further actions were taken.
In a statement, an IndiGo spokesperson said the flight was diverted to Mumbai due to low visibility conditions in Delhi.
"We sincerely apologise to our customers and are currently looking into the incident. We will take necessary steps to avoid any such instances in the future," the spokesperson said.
Passengers are not allowed to stay on the tarmac of an airport and the incident was apparently a security breach. Details about the actions taken on the incident could not be immediately ascertained.
(With agency inputs)