Mumbai Airport Chaos: IndiGo fliers to Doha stranded for hours, passengers complain of poor communication

Passengers on an IndiGo flight from Mumbai to Doha faced hours of delay due to technical issues, with claims of no food, water, or clear communication, leaving hundreds stranded at the airport.

Passengers aboard an IndiGo flight from Mumbai to Doha faced a harrowing ordeal when their flight, scheduled to depart at 3:55 am on Sunday, was delayed due to a technical issue, leaving hundreds stranded. The passengers, including children, reported being confined to the aircraft for nearly five hours before being deboarded and taken to the immigration area at Mumbai airport, as per an NDTV report.

According to reports, between 250 to 300 passengers were affected. Many expressed frustration at the lack of communication from both the airline and airport officials. One passenger, travelling with his wife and child, shared his ordeal with NDTV: "We were not allowed to deboard the plane because immigration was over." After protesting, passengers were moved to a holding area but felt abandoned, with no official providing clear information.

Adding to the passengers' frustrations, one flyer mentioned that no food or water was provided during the prolonged wait. "It is chaos over here. People are worried as their jobs are at risk. Passengers are waiting with their children," the passenger added.

Though no formal statement had been released by IndiGo at the time, the airline did respond to a complaint on X (formerly Twitter) about the situation. A user claimed the delay was caused by a "technical problem" and that the immigration authorities were not permitting passengers to deboard. IndiGo responded: "Hi, we sincerely regret the inconvenience. We request you to kindly share your contact number via DM so we may connect with you over a call. ~Laurette."

This is not the first instance of passenger grievances with airlines in recent days. Just a day earlier, passengers on a SpiceJet flight from Delhi to Darbhanga in Bihar expressed anger after the airline reportedly cancelled their flight just five minutes before boarding. Several passengers noted that flight cancellations on this route have been frequent in recent months.

Despite these disruptions, SpiceJet has yet to issue an official statement. The repeated flight cancellations and delays are raising concerns among fliers about the reliability of services on these routes.

As the situation continues to unfold, passengers affected by such incidents are calling for better communication and timely updates from airlines to prevent similar chaos in the future.