A Pune-bound IndiGo flight scheduled to fly from Patna airport was delayed by three hours on January 17 after the pilot received news about his grandmother’s demise. The flight had 162 passengers onboard and just before take-off, the pilot was informed of this sad news. Read on to know what followed.
IndiGo Pilot Refuses To Fly After Receiving News About Grandmother’s Death; Alt Crew Arranged
A report by India Today stated that Patna-Pune IndiGo flight 6E-126 was delayed by three hours on Wednesday. Just before take-off from the tarmac, the pilot got news about his grandmother’s death. Sourced revealed to India Today that the pilot was disturbed. He informed the airline officials that wasn’t mentally stable to fly the plane.
He told the airline officials that he was mentally unstable to fly the plane. The airline also deemed it unfit for him to fly the plane in the passengers’ interest. IndiGo officials brought the plane back to the parking area to clear the runway for other flights taking off. An airline source stated to India Today TV that IndiGo arranged for an alternate crew which took some time. The passengers were pacified and comforted over the delays faced with refreshments.
Also Read: With IndiGo Dominating Domestic Air Traffic, Is There Room For Errors With Frequent Flight Fiascos?
Passengers Face 3-Hour Delay; Pilot From Delhi Called
@IndiGo6E totally unprofessional manner by Indigo as it has delayed flight 6e126 and told that pilot is not available. This all has done after boarding is done. Boarding done at 1300 hrs and now flight is going to take off by 1630 hrs at patna for pune hrs @DGCAIndia,@JM_Scindia
— मनीष कुमार (@ManishK92021838) January 17, 2024
Later, a pilot from Delhi was arranged to travel to Patna Airport to fly the plane. Patna-Pune IndiGo flight 6E-126 was scheduled to take off at around 1.25 pm. However, due to this delay, it finally took off at around 4.41 pm. IndiGo stated that a delay like this was beyond their control. In a statement, IndiGo stated that they regretted the inconvenience caused. Furthermore, they added that this delay happened due to operational reasons which were beyond the control of the airline.
Also Read: Tarmac Langar: ₹1.2Cr For Indigo, ₹90L For MIAL; Airlines Imposed With Penalties
A passenger, Manish Kumar posted on X and slammed IndiGo for its “unprofessional behaviour”. The passenger was infuriated that the delay occurred post-boarding at 1 pm and the flight will finally take off at 4;30 pm.
Meanwhile, flyers, have you also faced infuriating flight delays lately? If so, do share you experiences.
Cover Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
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