Indigo airlines rolls with standing passengers, forced to return to airport

New Delhi : It is not common to see passengers travelling in an airline in a standing position. But, it turned into a reality for an Indigo airlines plane which operates between Mumbai and Varanasi. According to reports, the plane was forced to return to the aerobridge at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport after crew members spotted an overcooked passenger just before the take-off.

The incident took place at around 7:50 AM when a crew member noticed a male passenger standing at the rear end of the aircraft when flight 6E 6543 was taxiing for take-off.

The crew instantly alerted the pilot and flight was asked to return to the terminal.

Generally, airlines overbook to the limit to avoid the possibility of flight departing with empty seats.

Sharing the experience with the newspapers, one of the passengers was seen describing the situation. He said that a passenger was offloaded to the airport after it was noticed that he was standing at the back end of the airplane. The airlines checked all cabin luggage before proceeding with the take-off with a delay of at least an hour.

While another passenger said DGCA must take note of the incident and must regulate their rules to ensure timely departure of flights, as many of the other passengers have connecting flights.

According to DGCA’s civil aviation regulations notified in 2016, an airline is not required to pay any compensation to passengers if an alternative flight is arranged within an hour of the scheduled departure.

However, in case the airline arranges for an alternative flight within 24 hours of denial of boarding, it must pay 200% of the booked one-way basic fare, plus airline fuel charge, subject to a maximum of ₹10,000.